,. 


1EMORIESOF 
KAISER'S  COURT 


ANNE  TOPHAM 


II 


01 


r- 


LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 

MRS.    SEAVEY  GRIFFITH 


','3Sffi^V%'f,F>'''' 


i 


MEMORIES    OF    THE 
KAISER'S  COURT 


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'I 


,  MEMORIES  OF  THE 
"  KAISER'S  COURT 


BY 


ANNE  TOPHAM 


WITH    SIXTEEN    ILLUSTRATIONS 


FOURTH  EDITION 


NEW    YORK 
DODD,    MEAD    AND    COMPANY 

1914 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    ARRIVAL   AT   THE   PRUSSIAN   COURT          .             .  I 

II.    HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE      ....  22 

III.    THE   NEW   PALACE         .....  46 

IV.    DIVERSIONS   OF  THE   KAISER'S   DAUGHTER       .  66 

V.    CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT             ....  88 

VI.    BERLIN   SCHLOSS             ...                          .  HO 

VII.    DONAU-ESCHINGEN   AND   METZ                                  .  I29 

VIII.    EDUCATION           ......  149 

IX.    THE   BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST        .  163 

X.   ROYAL  WEDDINGS         .            .            .             .            .  1 84 

XI.    WILHELMSHOHE.            .                         .                         .  203 

XII.    CADINEN    ...                         .                          .  222 

XIII.    ROMINTEN             ....                         .  243 

XIV.   THE   KAISER  AND   KAISERIN             .                         .  262 

XV.    CONCLUSION         ......  282 

INDEX         ....                          .            .  305 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  German  Emperor  in  English  Admiral's  Uniform 

(Photo,  E.  Bieber,  Berlin.)  frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

The    Kaiser's    Daughter,    Princess    Victoria    Louise 

(now  Duchess  of  Brunswick)  at  the  Age  of  Nine       16 

(Photo,  T.  H.  Voigt,  Homburg.) 

Augusta  Victoria,  German  Empress,  with  her  Daughter      26 

(Photo,  Sandau,  Berlin.) 

The  Emperor  and  Empress  with   Members  of  their 

Family,  taken  at  the  New  Palace,  Wildpark        .       56 

(Photo,  Selle  and  Kuntze,  Potsdam.) 

The  Marmor  Palais,  near  Potsdam     ....       68 

(Photo,  Neue  Photographische  Gesellschaft,  Berlin.) 

The  Kaiser  and  his  Two  Eldest  Grandsons,  Princes 

Wilhelm  and  Louis  Ferdinand  of  Prussia  .  .       96 

(Photo,  Selle  and  Kuntze,  Potsdam.) 

The  Emperor  and  Empress,  their  Daughter  and  the 

Three  Sons  of  the  Crown  Prince  .         .         .122 

(Photo,  Selle  and  Kuntze,  Potsdam.) 

The     Kaiser's    Hunting-lodge    at    Rominten,    East 

Prussia  ........     142 

The  Crown  Prince  and  his  Heir,  Prince  Wilhelm      .     156 

(Photo,  Selle  and  Kuntze,  Potsdam.) 

The  Kaiser  and  his  Eldest  Grandson         .         .         .172 

(Photo,  Selle  and  Kuntze,  Potsdam.) 

The  Bridal  Carriage,  used  at  the  State  Entry  into 

Berlin  of  all  Royal  Brides         ....     190 

(Photo,  Franz  Kiihn,  Berlin.) 

Dining-hall  at  Rominten,  hung  with  Trophies  fallen 

to  the  Emperor's  Gun  .....     222 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  vii 

FACING   PAGE 

The  Kaiser  examining  Antlers.     Behind   him  stands 

Prince  Dohna  of  Schlobitten      .  .  .  .250 

(Photo,  A.  Topham.) 

The  Crown   Prince  and   Princess   with   their  Four 
Sons,  Princes  Wilhelm,  Louis  Ferdinand,  Hubertus, 
and  Friedrich       .......     280 

(Photo,  E.  Bieber,  Berlin.) 

The  Emperor's  Daughter,  taken  on  the  Day  when 
she  was  made  Colonel  of  the  "  Death's  Head  " 
Hussars         ....  ....     298 

(Photo,  A.  Topham.) 

The  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Brunswick         .         .         .     302 

(Photo  T.  H.  Voigt,  Frankfort.) 


MEMORIES  OF  THE 
KAISER'S  COURT 

CHAPTER    I 

ARRIVAL  AT  THE  PRUSSIAN  COURT 

TOWARDS  the  middle  of  August  1902,  on 
a  very  hot,  dusty,  suffocating  day,  I  was 
travelling,  the  prey  of  various  apprehen- 
sions, to  the  town  of  Homburg-vor-der-H6he, 
where  the  Prussian  Court  was  at  that  time  in 
temporary  residence. 

Thither  I  had  been  summoned,  to  join  it  in  the 
capacity  of  resident  English  teacher  to  the  young 
nine-year-old  Princess  Victoria  Louise  of  Prussia, 
only  daughter  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  of 
Germany. 

A  stormy  night-passage  of  eight  hours  on  the 
North  Sea,  followed  by  a  long  train- journey 
through  stifling  heat  lasting  till  five  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  naturally  affects  any  one's  spiritual 
buoyancy,  and  it  was  with  a  distinct  feeling  of 
depression  that  I  at  last  descended  from  the  train 
on  to  the  platform  of  Homburg  station. 

I  confidently  expected  that  a  carriage  would 
be  waiting  for  me,  but  nothing  in  the  least  re- 


2       MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

sembling  a  royal  equipage  is  to  be  seen.  There 
is  only  a  row  of  those  shabby,  time-worn,  open 
droschkies,  harnessed  to  attenuated,  weary-look- 
ing horses,  which,  even  since  the  advent  of  the 
"  taxi"  into  the  social  conditions  of  the  Father- 
land, still  maintain  a  precarious,  struggling  exist- 
ence in  most  German  towns. 

I  am  a  helpless  stranger,  with  a  very  limited 
knowledge  of  the  German  language  as  applied  to 
porters  and  cabmen,  and  consequently  very  much 
at  the  mercy  of  these  functionaries. 

As  my  luggage  is  plainly  addressed  to  the 
'  Konigliches  Schloss,"  the  group  of  officials  who 
surround  me,  all  talking  together  in  strident 
tones,  are  most  anxious  that  I  should  get  there 
as  soon  as  possible.  I  manage  to  convey  to  them 
my  idea  that  a  carriage  will  probably  be  coming 
for  me  soon,  and  after  a  few  minutes'  interval  of 
waiting  one  porter  obligingly  goes  outside  the 
station  to  look  up  the  long  street  for  the  missing 
vehicle ;  but  he  returns  sadly  shaking  his  head. 

"  Kein  Wagen,"  he  murmurs  with  an  air  of 
finality ;  and  in  spite  of  my  misgivings  they  all  fall 
upon  my  various  possessions  and  put  them  into 
the  oldest  and  most  decrepit  of  the  droschkies — 
the  only  one  left — with  a  horse  to  correspond,  and 
a  driver  who  strikes  the  last  note  in  deplorable 
shabbiness  and  stupidity.  No  one  who  has  not 
travelled  in  German  trains  fed  with  German  coal 
can  appreciate  the  sheer  discomfort  and  misery 
caused  by  this  wretched  fuel,  which  vomits  forth 
clouds  of  thick  black  smoke,  laden  with  solid, 
sooty  particles,  having  a  fatal  affinity  for  the 
features  of  the  passengers.     I   have  assimilated 


ARRIVAL  AT  THE  PRUSSIAN  COURT      3 

to  myself  a  certain  amount  of  this  invariable 
accompaniment  of  Continental  travel,  and  am 
uncomfortably  conscious  of  the  fact.  Neither  is 
it  thus — in  a  wretched  droschky,  with  my  luggage 
piled  drunkenly  around  me  at  various  untidy, 
ill-fitting  angles — that  I  had  dreamed  of  entering 
the  precincts  of  royalty. 

Later  on  I  grew  callous  in  this  respect  and 
perceived  that  I  had  been  unduly  sensitive  over 
a  small  matter ;  but  my  feelings  on  this  important 
occasion  were,  it  must  be  admitted,  acutely  miser- 
able. One  knows  instinctively  that  a  first  im- 
pression counts  for  a  good  deal. 

Up  the  long  Louisen-strasse  and  past  the 
Kurhaus  we  rattle  over  the  cobble-stones  of  past 
ages  with  which  so  many  German  towns  are  paved, 
and  down  a  side-street  I  catch  a  glimpse  of  a 
smart-looking  brougham  with  a  footman  sitting 
beside  the  coachman  on  the  box,  driving  quickly 
in  the  direction  from  which  we  have  come.  I  am 
convinced  that  it  is  the  carriage  meant  for  me, 
and  would  like  to  go  back  again  to  the  station; 
but  all  attempts  to  convey  my  meaning  to  the 
egregious  person  whose  back  obscures  my  view 
are  unavailing.  He  shrugs  his  shoulders,  whips 
up  his  horse,  utters  guttural  incomprehensible 
ejaculations,  and  points  to  a  large  old  building 
in  front  of  us  before  whose  open  gates  a  sentry 
is  pacing.  The  sentry  looks  surprised  and  hesi- 
tates, the  animal  in  the  shafts  crawls  through 
the  gateway  and  comes  to  a  sudden  halt  in  the 
midst  of  a  big  paved  courtyard,  surrounded  by 
open  windows  and  containing  in  one  angle  a 
pleasant  flower-garden  of  green  turf  and  climb- 


4       MEMORIES  OF  THE  KAISER'S  COURT 

ing  geraniums.     We  are  in  the  Royal  Homburg 
Schloss. 

A  beautiful  sun-bathed  silence  prevails  every- 
where. Through  a  gateway  opposite,  leading  into 
a  second  court-yard,  a  fountain  can  be  heard 
plashing  gently  with  occasional  intermittent  hesi- 
tations and  precipitations,  while  a  pigeon  croons 
slumberously  at  intervals  on  the  roof.  Otherwise 
it  seems  an  absolutely  deserted  spot.  There  is 
nothing  to  indicate  before  which  of  the  various 
doors,  which  stand  half  open  to  the  light  and  air, 
I  ought  to  be  set  down. 

The  driver  assumes  a  round-shouldered,  blinking, 
vacuous  attitude  of  masterly  inactivity,  while  his 
horse  takes  a  nap  after  his  exertions.  I  descend 
from  the  hateful  vehicle  and  wonder  what  I  ought 
to  do  next.  Between  heat,  exasperation  and 
incertitude,  added  to  the  fatigues  of  travel,  I  am 
in  a  parlous  condition,  one  fume  and  fret  of  weari- 
ness and  desperation. 

Presently  from  under  the  archway,  interposing 
his  bulk  between  me  and  the  glancing  sunlight, 
comes  walking  slowly  a  gentleman  of  stately 
mien,  garbed  in  black  frock-coat  and  tall  silk  hat. 
He  wears  the  aspect  of  an  Ambassador,  and  may 
be  one  for  all  I  know  or  care.  I  fling  myself  into 
the  orbit  of  his  path,  assembling  together  with 
beating  heart  the  few  fragmentary  bits  of  German 
that  remain  with  me  after  the  varied  emotions 
of  the  day.  I  murmur  something  inarticulate 
and  wave  my  hand  explanatorily  in  the  direction 
of  the  supine  droschky-driver,  who,  surrounded 
by  my  luggage,  still  continues  to  crouch  in  obvious 
somnolence  on  his  box. 


ARRIVAL  AT  THE   PRUSSIAN  COURT         5 

The  black-coated  functionary  may  not  be  a 
diplomat — I  subsequently  find  that  he  is  a  Hof- 
fourrier,  one  of  those  pleasant  minor  court-officials 
who  regulate  royal  journeys  and  the  small  financial 
housekeeping  arrangements  of  royal  households 
— but  he  has  the  art  of  seizing  a  situation  at  a 
glance.  His  eye  wanders  whimsically  over  the 
luggage,  the  slumberous  droschky-driver  and  his 
horse.  It  strikes  him,  no  doubt,  as  a  humorous 
situation.  So  it  would  appear  to  me  under 
different  circumstances.  He  answers  in  polite 
but  unintelligible  German,  wakens  the  driver, 
directs  him  to  a  door  in  a  corner,  and  rings  a  bell  ; 
a  rush  of  gaitered  footmen  follows  ;  something 
kaleidoscopic  and  swift  takes  place  ;  I  find  myself 
following  a  servant  down  a  long,  cool,  bare  passage 
decorated  with  old  German  prints — up  a  tiny 
winding  staircase  into  a  pleasant,  shady  room 
looking  out  over  the  red  roofs  of  Homburg  away 
towards  great  purple  hills  against  a  background 
of  pale  lemon-coloured  sky. 

The  quiet,  calm  beauty  of  the  outlook  as  seen 
from  this  high-pitched  gabled  corner  of  the  quaint 
old  Schloss  falls  soothingly  on  my  tired,  travel- 
worn  soul.  I  sink  into  a  funny  old-fashioned 
chair  covered  with  a  blue  spotted  chintz  which 
has  been  out  of  fashion  for  at  least  a  hundred  and 
twenty  years,  and  contemplate  the  fat,  plethoric, 
square  sofa  and  the  rest  of  the  furniture,  which 
is  delightfully  old — so  old  that  its  ugliness  has 
mellowed  into  something  charming  and  alluring. 
There  is  a  big  mirror  fixed  over  a  marble-topped 
mahogany  chest  of  drawers  in  which  I  catch  a 
glimpse  of  my  haggard  face;   there  are  various 


6       MEMORIES  OF  THE  KAISER'S  COURT 

mahogany  chairs  covered  with  the  before-men- 
tioned blue-spotted  print ;  there  is  a  carpet  of 
vivid  moss-green.  All  is  very  plain  and  comfort- 
able and  old-world,  and  spotlessly  clean  and  fresh. 
Flowers  are  on  the  writing-table  which  stands  in 
the  embrasure  of  the  window. 

Soon  a  pleasant  chinking  of  china  is  heard 
outside,  and  a  man  in  a  flowing  Russian  beard 
parted  in  the  middle  brings  in  a  tray  with  tea. 
He  bows  politely  as  he  enters  the  room,  the  bow 
without  which  no  well-trained  German  servant 
comes  into  the  presence  of  those  whom  he  serves, 
and  deftly  arranges  the  tea-table.  He  is  clad 
in  plain  dark  livery,  such  as  is  worn  by  all  the 
Diener-schaft  in  the  royal  employment  who  are 
below  the  rank  of  footmen. 

The  sight  of  the  teapot  and  the  taste  of  the  tea 
set  at  rest  the  doubts  I  have  had  whether  this 
cheerful  beverage  would  be  one  of  the  luxuries  I 
should  have  to  renounce  permanently  on  leaving 
England. 

"  German  people  all  drink  coffee,  and  if  they  do 
make  tea  it's  like  coloured  water,"  I  had  been 
assured  many  times  over.  That  this  is  true  still 
of  the  great  mass  of  the  people  my  experience  in 
many  parts  of  Germany  has  proved;  but  the 
Court  buys  its  very  excellent  tea  direct  from  a 
big  London  warehouse  and  brews  it  with  due 
respect  to  its  peculiar  needs. 

A  small  bedroom,  in  which  my  luggage  has 
been  deposited,  leads  out  of  the  little  sitting-room. 
It  contains  also  the  same  quaint  old-world  furni- 
ture, together  with  a  short,  squat,  solid-looking 
mahogany    bedstead    with    deep    wooden   sides, 


ARRIVAL   AT   THE   PRUSSIAN   COURT        7 

covered  with  one  of  those  big  bags  filled  with  down 
which  take  the  place  of  an  eider-down  quilt  and 
are  so  typically  German.  One  sees  them  hanging 
out  of  the  windows  for  an  airing  every  morning — 
at  hours,  it  is  needless  to  say,  permitted  by 
the  police. 

I  wash  away  the  dust  of  the  journey,  change 
and  begin  to  unpack,  wondering  if  my  clothes  are 
right,  if  I  ought  to  have  had  longer  or  shorter 
trains  on  my  dresses,  and  wishing  somebody  would 
come  along  and  explain  to  me  any  points  that 
might  guide  my  inexperienced  steps. 

The  departing  English  teacher  whose  place  I 
am  taking  has  written  to  me  a  letter  purporting 
to  give  advice  as  to  wardrobe  and  etiquette,  but 
she  has  recently  become  "  engaged,"  and  except 
an  impression  that  white  kid  gloves  are  a  chief 
necessity  of  life  at  court,  there  is  little  of  practical 
use  to  be  gathered  from  the  vague  kindliness  of 
her  short  note.  She  writes  that  there  is  practic- 
ally no  etiquette  except  such  as  can  be  "  seen  at 
a  glance,"  and  leaves  it  at  that. 

A  knock  comes  at  the  door ;  a  voice,  a  pleasant, 
cheerful  woman's  voice,  calls  my  name;  and  with 
both  hands  outstretched  in  welcome  enters  a 
tall,  middle-aged,  smiling  person,  who  introduces 
herself  as  the  lady-in-waiting  with  whom  I  have 
been  corresponding.  She  radiates  kindness  and 
sympathy,  is  gaiety  and  charm  personified,  knows 
exactly  how  I  am  feeling — how  excited,  dubious, 
tired,  and  worried — and  she  laughs  it  all  away  while 
she  stands  clasping  my  hand  and  shaking  it  at 
intervals.  She  is  much  amused  at  the  description 
of  my  entry  into  the  Schloss,  and  explains  that  a 


8       MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

carriage  and  luggage-cart  had  been  sent  to  meet 
me  with  one  of  the  Empress's  own  English-speaking 
footmen,  so  that  everything  might  be  as  easy  as 
possible ;  but  there  had  been  a  mistake  as  to  the 
time — probably  on  my  part — and  as  the  train  was 
very  punctual  I  had  been  there  too  soon. 

"  And  now,"  she  concludes,  "  you  will  dine  to- 
night with  Her  Majesty  at  half-past  seven." 

I  start  back  in  horror. 

"  Yes,"  she  laughs ;  "  it  is  the  best  opportunity, 
because  the  Emperor  is  away  and  it  will  be  very 
quiet — just  a  few  of  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of 
the  court ;  and  it  will  be  quite  easy,  you  know. 
Her  Majesty  is  so  kind,  so  sympathetic — she  knows 
how  tired  you  must  be — she  will  not  expect  you 
to  be  brilliant;  but  when  there  is  a  plunge  to 
be  made,"  she  pointed  downwards  as  to  an  un- 
fathomable abyss,  "it  is  better  to  make  it  and 
get  it  over,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Will  the  Princess  be  there  ?  "  I  ask  with  the 
calmness  of  despair. 

"  No,  not  to-night.  She  is  very  much  excited 
and  wanted  to  come  and  see  you,  but  is  to  wait 
until  to-morrow.  She  has  been  talking  all  day 
about  your  coming." 

I  wonder  dubiously  in  what  aspect  I  present 
myself  to  the  thoughts  of  my  unknown  pupil — 
whether  pleasantly  or  otherwise. 

On  looking  back,  that  first  dinner  at  a  royal 
table  has  in  it  many  of  the  unstable  elements  of 
a  dream,  I  might  almost  say  of  a  nightmare.  It 
passes  confusedly  through  my  mind  as  a  series 
of  impressions  following  each  the  other  with  such 
rapidity  and  lack  of  cohesion  that  only  the  Cubist 


ARRIVAL  AT   THE   PRUSSIAN  COURT        9 

or  Futurist  mind  could  hope  to  depict  it  ade- 
quately. An  impression  that  my  frock  is  not 
quite  the  right  thing,  that  it  is  too  English  and 
not  German  enough — it  was  to  be  a  "  high"  dress, 
said  the  Countess,  as  we  parted,  and  mine  was 
neckless  while  the  other  ladies  were  clothed  right 
up  to  the  ears  and  chin ;  further  impressions 
that  I  am  preternaturally  dull  and  stupid,  that 
the  smile  I  attempt  is  obviously  artificial,  that 
I  am  an  isolated  speck  of  mind  surrounded  by 
an  incomprehensible  ocean  of  German  babbling. 

Before  dinner  I  have  been  solemnly  conducted 
by  the  Countess  to  the  apartments  of  the  Empress, 
wearing  one  long  white  kid  glove,  while  the  other 
is  feverishly  crumpled  in  my  hand  together  with 
a  fan,  without  which  even  in  the  coldest  weather 
no  properly  equipped  lady  can,  I  learned,  be 
considered  fit  to  appear  before  royalty.  An 
elderly  footman  shows  us  into  a  little  ante-room 
furnished  in  brilliant  yellow  satin,  and  here  we 
sit  and  wait,  chatting  in  the  desultory,  half- 
hearted manner  of  people  who  expect  every 
moment  to  be  interrupted. 

It  is  some  ten  minutes  or  so  before  a  door  leading 
into  an  inner  apartment  is  opened  and  we  are 
ushered  in. 

"  You  will  kiss  Her  Majesty's  hand,"  whispers 
the  Countess  with  a  reassuring  smile  as  she  passes 
on  in  front  of  me. 

The  Empress  is  sitting  on  a  sofa,  with  a  stick 
beside  her,  for  she  has  had  the  misfortune  to  sprain 
her  ankle  rather  severely  some  days  before,  and 
she  receives  us  with  a  pleasant,  gentle  smile  and  a 
look  which  reveals  at  once  the  fact  that  she  herself 


10     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

is  feeling  a  slight  embarrassment.  I  suppose  the 
Countess  presents  me  to  Her  Majesty — I  have  no 
definite  recollection  of  it — but  at  any  rate  she 
disappears  and  leaves  us  alone  together.  I  bend 
and  kiss  the  outstretched  hand,  and  feel  already 
that  this  is  going  to  be  quite  a  pleasant  interview, 
so  eminently  sympathetic  and  kindly  reassuring  is 
the  face  that  smiles  into  mine  with  a  certain  shy 
diffidence. 

I  find  myself  sitting  in  a  chair  talking  easily 
and  without  restraint  to  a  mother  about  her  little 
daughter.  It  is  all  quite  simple  and  straight- 
forward. There  is  no  longer  anything  to  trouble 
or  be  doubtful  over.  We  exchange  views  on 
theories  of  education,  on  a  child's  small  idiosyn- 
crasies, on  the  difficulties  of  giving  her  enough 
fresh  air  when  so  many  hours  are  taken  up  with 
study.  We  get  absorbed  in  our  talk,  and  find 
that  we  have  many  views  in  common — always  a 
delightful  discovery,  whether  the  other  person  be 
an  Empress  or  a  charwoman.  At  last  Her  Majesty 
realizes  that  a  good  many  hungry  ladies  and 
gentlemen  are  waiting  not  far  away  for  her  appear- 
ance and  their  dinner,  and  so  at  length  she  rises 
and  walks  through  several  rooms,  preceded  by  a 
footman  who  flings  open  both  leaves  of  the  folding 
doors,  till  we  emerge  in  an  apartment  brightly 
lit  with  many  wax  candles,  where  a  subdued  buzz 
of  conversation  suddenly  stops  and  the  whole 
company  bows  and  curtsies  at  once,  like  a  field 
of  corn  when  the  wind  passes  over  it. 

At  table  I  sit  between  a  young  officer  in  uniform 
and  the  English  lady  who  is  leaving  to-morrow 
and  to  whose  privileges  and  responsibilities  I  am 


ARRIVAL   AT   THE   PRUSSIAN   COURT      11 

to  succeed.  I  learn  with  horror  that  with  her 
departure  I  shall  be  left  to  grapple  single-handed 
with  whatever  difficulties  may  arise — without 
any  aid  or  advice  excepting  that  which  the 
"  Countess,"  who  is  continually  occupied,  may 
find  time  to  fling  to  me  at  odd  intervals  of  the 
day.  The  German  Ober-Gouvernante,  whom  I 
had  expected  to  find  at  my  side  with  counsel 
and  guidance,  is  in  strict  quarantine,  having  been 
in  contact  with  some  infectious  illness,  and  will 
continue  to  be  possibly  contagious  for  the  next 
ten  days.  She  is  being  purified  and  disinfected 
somewhere  with  relations,  and  will  resume  her 
duties  when  the  Court  returns  to  the  New  Palace 
near  Potsdam. 

In  the  meantime  I  shall  carry  on  as  well  as 
my  ignorance  allows  the  numerous  duties  of  her 
position  as  well  as  my  own  !  Perhaps  it  is  the 
sympathetic  pity  of  the  kind  German  people  in 
my  immediate  neighbourhood,  their  encourage- 
ment to  be  "  firm  "  towards  my  pupil,  the  trans- 
parent hints  that  she  is  a  remarkably  difficult 
child  to  manage,  and  that  only  a  person  of  unyield- 
ing discipline  who  will  exact  rigid  and  unquestion- 
ing obedience  can  have  the  least  chance  of  coping 
with  her  extraordinary  temperament,  that  make 
the  true  inwardness  of  the  situation  apparent. 

"  I  rather  like  naughty  children,"  I  murmur 
wearily,  with  an  effort  to  throw  off  the  forebodings 
caused  by  their  remarks;  "they  have  so  much 
more  character  than  good  ones.  Most  people  who 
turn  out  rather  remarkable  seem  to  have  been 
distinguished  in  their  youth  for  naughtiness." 

They   all   smile   indulgently,   with   the   air   of 


12     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

humouring  the  whims  of  a  child  whose  words  are 
not  to  be  taken  seriously. 

"  Grown-up  people  can  often  be  very  annoying 
too,"  I  remark,  as  a  further  contribution  to  the 
discussion.  They  smile  again  at  each  other,  and 
immediately  change  the  subject  to  something  else 
quite  unconnected  with  education,  and,  lapsing 
into  German,  leave  me,  so  to  speak,  stranded 
in  a  backwater,  where  I  wonder  vaguely  if  I  can 
possibly  keep  my  eyes  open  much  longer  and  if 
it  will  be  lese-majeste  if  my  head  suddenly  sinks 
into  my  dessert  plate. 

Mercifully,  when  we  rise  from  the  table  I  am 
dismissed  to  much-needed  repose  by  the  Empress, 
and  bow  my  way  through  the  door  out  of  the 
confused  blur  into  which  the  lights  and  the  people's 
faces  are  beginning  to  merge. 

I  had  had  no  sleep  the  previous  night,  having 
spent  it  tossing  on  the  stormy  waves  in  a  state  of 
acute  misery  from  sea-sickness  ;  I  had  travelled 
all  day  through  the  scorching  hours,  with  little 
to  eat  or  drink,  in  a  train  which  shook  and  rattled 
and  bumped  as  only  Continental  trains  can  ;  I 
had  been  anxious  and  harried,  owing  to  ignorance 
of  the  language  and  customs  and  train-regulations 
of  the  country  through  which  I  was  passing ;  I 
had  been  fretted  by  the  droschky-driver,  pre- 
sented to  an  Empress,  and  had  supped  at  the  royal 
table  in  private,  which  is  much  more  alarming 
than  on  a  ceremonious  occasion;  so  that  it  was 
the  mere  wreck  and  shadow  of  myself  which, 
guided  by  the  pictures,  crawled  half-dazed  along 
those  interminable  passages. 

But  the  morning  aspect  of  even  the  most  difficult 


ARRIVAL  AT  THE  PRUSSIAN  COURT      18 

situation  is  invariably  more  courageous  and  hope- 
ful than  that  of  evening.  I  breakfasted  in  the 
little  sitting-room  with  my  compatriot,  who  is 
absorbed  in  packing,  and  vouchsafes  not  one 
single  helpful  hint  as  to  my  future  conduct,  for 
which  to  this  day  I  bear  her  somewhat  of  a  grudge. 
She  dismisses  the  whole  business  with  the  airy 
lightness  of  one  whom  it  no  longer  concerns.  She 
shows  me  a  beautiful  silver  dish,  a  wedding  present 
from  Her  Majesty,  and  packs  it  away  with  a  smile 
on  her  face.  She  hums  a  tune  while  she  wanders 
in  and  out  from  room  to  room,  where  the  sun- 
light nickers,  brightening  and  disappearing  under 
the  light  clouds  that  sail  in  the  blue  above. 

At  about  half-past  ten  a  footman  comes  with  a 
summons  to  go  downstairs,  so  I  put  on  my  outdoor 
things  and  follow  him  out  into  the  sunny  court- 
yard, through  a  big  archway,  and  along  winding 
sandy  paths,  till  I  reach  a  point  where  I  can  see 
the  Empress  sitting  at  a  table  under  some  big 
trees  near  what  is  called  the  "  English  garden" — 
a  garden  made,  and  still  maintained  much  as  she 
left  it,  by  that  daughter  of  George  III  who 
married  a  Landgraf  of  Hesse-Homburg. 

Here  it  is  that  the  Kaiser's  little  daughter  first 
comes  dancing  lightly  into  my  life,  to  remain  in 
it,  a  permanent  and  very  delightful  memory.  A 
steep  grassy  bank  in  front  descends  so  deeply  to 
a  tiny  lake  lying  below  that  the  intervening 
shore  is  hidden.  Suddenly  above  this  bank 
appears  the  sleek  golden  head  of  a  small  girl 
of  nine  or  so,  dressed  in  a  stiff,  starched,  plain 
white  sailor  dress  with  a  blue  collar  and  a  straw 
sailor  hat. 


14     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Her  mother  calls  to  her  in  English,  "  Come 
here,  Sissy"  ;  and  with  a  hop  skip  and  jump  over 
the  intervening  space  she  springs  forward  and 
holds  out  her  hand  to  me  with  frank  friendliness. 

A  few  steps  behind  her  comes  another  flying 
figure  in  white— her  brother,  Prince  Joachim,  the 
youngest  of  the  six  sons  of  the  Kaiser ;  and  then 
above  the  bank  emerges  the  young  officer  I  met 
at  supper  the  night  before,  who  is  Governor  to 
the  Prince.  Both  children  begin  talking  volubly 
in  German  to  the  Empress,  the  little  girl,  as  far 
as  my  limited  knowledge  permits  me  to  judge, 
emphatically  contradicting  every  word  her  brother 
says.  They  are  obviously — well,  perhaps,  it  would 
be  over-emphasis  to  call  it  quarrelling,  but  they 
are  certainly  not  quite  in  accord.  The  young 
officer,  lingering  in  the  background — lingering  in 
backgrounds  becomes  a  fine  art  at  court — gives 
me  a  meaning  glance,  raises  his  eyebrows,  smiles 
and  shakes  his  head  with  a  slight  shrug  of  his 
shoulders. 

"  They  are  always  zanking,"  he  says  to  me  in 
his  fluent  but  imperfect  English,  when,  after  a  few 
minutes,  the  Empress  departs,  leaving  me  to  the 
full  and  undisturbed  enjoyment  of  my  duties.  I 
subsequently  consult  a  dictionary  and  discover 
that  zanken  is  a  German  verb  meaning  "  to 
wrangle,"  "to  dispute  acrimoniously."  It  is  a 
conspicuous  characteristic  of  the  children's  inter- 
course in  those  early  days.  Although  they  cannot 
bear  to  be  parted  from  each  other,  they  are  as 
frankly  and  reciprocally  rude  as  politicians,  dis- 
covering an  amazing  fertility  in  the  application 
of  opprobrious  and  insulting  epithets,  flowers  of 


ARRIVAL   AT   THE   PRUSSIAN   COURT      15 

rhetoric  of  which  I  gather  a  few  for  personal  use 
if  necessary.  These  storms  beat  with  bewildering 
and  baffling  violence  on  my  head,  lacking,  as  I  do, 
the  knowledge  of  the  German  language  necessary 
to  make  my  censure  more  discriminating;  but  I 
note  that  Prince  Joachim's  Governor  is  just  as 
helpless  as  myself,  though  his  command  of  the 
vernacular  might  be  supposed  to  give  him  some 
advantage. 

The  next  few  days  are  busied  with  initiation 
into  that  mysterious  inner  side  of  court  life  of 
which  the  general  public  necessarily  knows  little 
but   imagines   many   vain   things.     Chief   among 
those   early   impressions   is   that   of   the   Kaiser 
himself,    whom   I   have   not   yet  seen,  as   he   is 
absent  on  one  of  his  numerous  journeys.     Distilled 
through  the  alembic  of  his  little  daughter's  mind 
I  soon  perceive  that  the  Emperor,  hitherto  known 
to  me  only  by  the  medium  of  newspapers,  which, 
although     perhaps     accurately    informed    as     to 
facts,  often  throw  a  misleading  light  on  the  char- 
acter  and   temperament   of  this  much-discussed 
monarch,  is  not  always  playing  the  part  of  the 
frowning  Imperial  Personage  of  fierce  moustaches, 
corrugated  brow  and  continually-clenched  mailed 
fist — that  he  frequently  recedes  from  this  warlike 
attitude    and    becomes    an    ordinary    humorous 
domestic    "  Papa,"    who    makes    sportive    jokes 
with  his  family  at  the  breakfast  table  and  is  even 
occasionally  guilty  of  the  more  atrocious  form 
of  pun. 

This  phase  of  "Papa's"  character  is  forcibly, 
almost  painfully,  brought  home  to  me  when  one 
day  his  daughter,  in  a  moment  of  relaxation,  seeks 


16     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

to  amuse  herself  by  practising  the  schoolboy 
trick — she  is  very  schoolboyish — of  making  with 
her  mouth  and  cheek  the  "  pop  "  of  a  champagne 
cork  and  the  subsequent  gurgle  of  the  flowing 
wine. 

"  Whoever  taught  you  these  unladylike  accom- 
plishments ?  "  I  ask,  in  the  reproving  tones  appro- 
priate to  an  instructor  of  youth. 

"  S-s-sh  !  It  was  Papa,"  she  answers  gleefully, 
repeating  the  offending  sound  with  an  even  more 
perfect  imitation  than  before;  "he  can  do  it 
splendidly,"  and  she  "  gurgled  "  with  persevering 
industry. 

It  is  obvious  that  in  the  intervals  of  inspecting 
regiments  and  making  warlike  speeches  "  Papa" 
unbends  to  a  considerable  extent  when  in  the 
bosom  of  his  family.  But  I  learn  with  some 
regret  that  "poor  Mamma"  seldom  has  time  to 
get  a  really  proper  breakfast,  because  after  she 
has  poured  out  "Papa's"  coffee,  buttered  his 
toast  and  ministered  to  his  other  wants  she  has 
only  time  to  snatch  the  merest  mouthful  for 
herself  before  he  is  hurrying  away  to  call  the  dogs 
and  put  on  his  cloak  for  a  brisk  early  morning 
walk. 

"  Come  on,  come  on,"  he  says,  with  cheerful 
impatience;  "  how  you  do  dawdle  over  your  food, 
to  be  sure !  I've  finished  long  ago,"  and  the  whole 
family  has  to  leave  its  meal  half  eaten  and  start  on 
an  hour's  tramp  through  the  streets  of  the  town 
or  to  the  beautiful  hills  outside.  It  is  clear  that 
"  Papa  "  is  the  dominating  force  of  his  daughter's 
life.  His  ideas,  his  opinions  on  men  and  things 
are  persistently  quoted  by  her  ;  trenchant,  fluent 


THE    KAISER'S   DAUGHTER,    PRINCESS   VICTORIA   LOUISE  (NOW 
DUCHESS   OF   BRUNSWICK)   AT   THE   AGE  OF   NINE 


ARRIVAL  AT   THE  PRUSSIAN  COURT      17 

criticisms  on  persons  of  world-wide  fame,  aston- 
ishing verdicts  on  men  of  the  hour,  issue  from  her 
lips  in  bewildering  confidences. 

"Papa  says  that  Herr  Muller  "  (the  name  of 
course  is  not  Muller)  "  is  a  Schafs-Kopf  and  doesn't 
know  what  he's  talking  about,"  she  would  say 
glibly  of  some  well-known  politician  on  whose 
utterances  the  world  was  hanging  with  bated 
breath. 

These  communications  are  sometimes  almost 
disconcerting.  They  add  a  burden  to  life,  a  fear 
lest  one  may  betray  some  great  political  secret 
from  sheer  inadvertence.  It  is  a  relief  when  the 
Princess  turns  her  confidences  into  less  embarrass- 
ing channels. 

The  chief  pets  of  her  existence  at  this  time 
are  two  ponies,  which,  together  with  a  small 
victoria  upholstered  in  pale  blue  satin,  have  been 
presented  to  her  by  the  then  reigning  Sultan  of 
Turkey,  who  was  afterwards  deposed.  These  two 
little  creatures,  named  Ali  and  Aladdhr,  are  of  a 
pale  fawn-colour,  with  long  white  silky  manes 
and  tails,  and  when  drawing  the  small  blue-lined 
victoria,  which  has  a  diminutive  groom  perched 
on  a  small  seat  behind,  make  an  extremely  exotic 
circus-like  effect  on  the  country  roads  round 
Homburg.  The  Princess  always  drives  herself, 
and  delights  in  flourishing  a  rather  large  whip, 
which  it  is  necessary  frequently  to  apply  to  the 
ponies'  fat  sides,  for  they  are  of  a  somewhat 
sluggish  disposition ;  but  their  appearance  outside 
the  Schloss  gates  is  hailed  with  delight  by  the 
crowds  who  stand  waiting  there  waving  their 
hats  and  handkerchiefs  on  all  sides. 


18     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Cronberg,  the  residence  of  the  late  Empress 
Frederick,  now  in  the  possession  of  her  daughter 
the  Princess  Frederick  Charles  of  Hesse,  is  within 
driving  distance  of  Homburg.  At  this  time  the 
children  of  another  sister  of  the  Emperor  are 
staying  there — the  Greek  princes  and  princesses, 
whose  father  was  then  Crown  Prince  and  is  now 
King  of  Greece.  As  the  Princess  of  Hesse  is 
herself  the  mother  of  six  sons,  two  pairs  of  twins 
among  them,  there  is  no  lack  of  playfellows  for 
the  Princess  and  Prince  Joachim,  who  frequently 
exchange  visits  with  their  young  cousins.  Cron- 
berg is  a  beautiful  house  built  in  old  German  style, 
quite  different  from  the  peculiar  Greco-French 
character  of  most  palaces  in  Germany. 

It  is  pleasant  to  watch  the  cataract  of  white- 
clad  children  rushing  in  and  out  of  the  doorways, 
displaying  that  universal  characteristic  of  their 
age — a  desire  to  penetrate  to  unusual  places,  such 
as  kitchens,  cellars  and  attics.  They  have  glorious 
games  on  rainy  afternoons  in  the  upper  regions 
of  the  old  Homburg  Schloss,  in  whose  cobwebby, 
dusty  rooms,  among  old  forgotten  lumber,  are  to 
be  found  many  curiously  interesting  things — 
old  portraits  of  dead  and  gone  Landgrafs  and 
Landgravines,  pictures  of  the  children  of  the  old 
house,  attired  in  the  cumbersome  finery  which 
in  past  days  hampered  unfortunate  infancy, 
pieces  of  queer  armour,  ancient  blunderbusses 
and  rapiers,  old  moth-eaten  furniture  with  the 
silk  worn  into  rags. 

I  had  developed  an  unsuspected  talent  in  the 
direction  of  Versteckens — the  ever-popular  hide- 
and-seek — more  especially  in  the  role  of  seeker, 


ARRIVAL  AT   THE   PRUSSIAN  COURT      19 

and  distributed  the  thrills  of  which  the  game  is 
capable  with  even-handed  impartiality,  not  for- 
getting that  even  the  child  of  least  originality, 
who  hides  in  the  most  perfectly  obvious  place 
with  large  portions  of  his  anatomy  plainly  visi- 
ble, likes  to  have,  so  to  speak,  a  run  for  his 
money,  and  enjoys  the  hovering  discovery  best 
when  it  retires  baffled  on  the  verge,  and  the 
wrong  cupboard  is  frequently  and  persistently 
searched. 

The  form  of  the  game  which  we  played  exacted 
that  the  seeker  should  count  slowly  up  to  a  hundred 
with  tightly  shut  eyes  and  then  begin  the  search ; 
but  I  compromised  this  rather  wearisome  method 
by  allowing  five  minutes'  "  law  "  and  beginning 
to  count  at  ninety.  These  odd  five  minutes  were 
utilized  to  examine  at  ease  many  objects  which 
I  should  otherwise  never  have  seen ;  and  to  an 
accompaniment  of  muffled  shrieks,  thundering 
footsteps,  and  a  passing  vision  of  fleeting  white 
legs,  short  frilly  skirts,  and  rather  smudgy 
princely  features  (for  these  out-of-the-way  corners 
were  a  trifle  dirty)  I  was  enabled  to  study  many 
quaint  old  steel  engravings  of  hunting  scenes 
which  hung  on  the  walls,  engravings  which  would 
make  a  collector's  mouth  water. 

I  still  remember  the  indignation  with  which 
Prince  Max  of  Hesse  made  the  discovery  that  I 
did  not  pass  these  intervals  in  a  state  of  temporary 
blindness. 

"You  don't  keep  your  eyes  shut  all  the  time: 
you  must  keep  them  shut,"  he  objected.  (They 
all  spoke  English  and  German  equally  well,  but 
preferred    German   when    talking   among    them- 


20     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

selves,  with  the  exception  of  the  Greek  children, 
:  always  spoke  English.) 

I  have  some  difficulty  in  persuading  him  that 
I  may  honourably  keep  my  eyes  hxed  on  a  picture 
without  transgressing  the  rules  of  the  game. 

'  But  you  can  see  us  go  by  out  of  the  corner 
of  your  eye.'"  he  persisted. 

"  But  I  should  hear  you  in  any  case.'' 

1  Well,  then  you  must  shut  your  ears  as  well ; 
hold  your  hands  over  them."  He  is  a  very  con- 
scientious little  boy  and  a  past  master  in  the 
matter  of  argument.  If  he  had  not  been  draesred 
along  by  my  Princess  there  is  no  saying  what  I 
d  ight  have  been  forced  to  do.  but  she  knows 
when  she  is  having  a  good  time  and  is  no  stickler 
for  the  strict  observance  of  rules. 

'  Come  along.  Max.*'  she  cries  ;  "  I've  got  a 
splendid  place.  Don't  begin  to  count  yet.  Topsv." 
She  has  already  found  a  nickname  for  me,  and 
Topsy  '  I  remain,  for  the  rest  oi  my  career. 
On  the  evening  of  one  of  the  days  when  we  have 
been  playing  hide-and-seek  my  pupil  tells  me  an 
interesting  piece  of  news. 

'  Papa  is  coming  back  to-morrow  morning," 
she  says  gleefully.  "  and  then  you'll  see  him.  I 
expect  you're  looking  forward  to  it  very  much. 
I  shall  tell  Papa  all  about  you.  You  are  just  like 
all  English  people — very  thin.  Why  don't  you 
eat  more  and  try  and  get  fatter  ?  " 

'  I  don't  want  to  get  fat."  I  reply  indignantly; 

1  and  if  I  did.  what  would  be  the  use  when  I  have 

to  run  about  all  day  after  you  children  ?     I  expect 

I  ran  at  least  ten  miles  this  afternoon  when  we 

were  playing  hide-and-seek.' ' 


ARRIVAL   AT   THE   PRUSSIAN   COURT      21 

"  I  expect  you  did,"  answered  the  Princess 
regretfully.  "  It  was  a  splendid  game,  wasn't  it  ? 
Georgie  hid  in  a  bath  once  and  Alexander  turned 
the  tap  on  him;  but,"  returning  to  an  earlier 
subject,  "  Papa  will  want  to  know  all  about  you, 
and  I  shall  tell  him  you  are  very  thin.  Won't 
you  be  very  pleased  to  see  Papa  ?  " 

I  murmur  something  politely  appropriate  and 
non-committal,  but  the  fearful  joy  reserved  for 
the  morrow  somewhat  troubles  my  thoughts  that 
night.  Life  seems  already  to  be  almost  sufficiently 
strenuous. 


CHAPTER    II 

HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE 

IT  does  not  take  long  to  discover  that  my 
small  charge  has  inherited  the  temperament 
of  her  race.  What  Carlyle  calls  ' '  Hohenzollern 
choler,' '  and  a  certain  foot-stamping  manner  of 
expressing  opinion,  exhibit  themselves  at  an  early 
stage  of  our  acquaintance.  She  is  a  highly-strung, 
nervous,  excitable  child  of  generous  wayward 
impulses,  who  needs  an  existence  of  calm  routine 
for  the  healthy  development  and  cultivation  of 
her  mind,  but  by  the  circumstances  of  her  life  is 
kept  in  a  restless  vortex  of  activity  which  places 
considerable  difficulties  in  the  way  of  her  education. 
She  is  in  her  tenth  year  when  I  first  know  her, 
a  well-grown  child  of  her  age,  with  rather  pale 
features  and  a  lively,  alert  expression.  She  wears 
her  fair  hair  cut  in  a  straight  fringe  across  her 
forehead  and  hanging  in  long  "  nursery  ringlets  " 
over  her  shoulders.  These  ringlets  are  produced, 
in  what  is  naturally  perfectly  straight  hair,  by 
the  art  of  her  English  nurse,  whom  I  often  watch 
with  a  certain  fascination  as  she  brushes  the 
shining  strands  round  her  finger,  forming  without 
any  extraneous  aid  the  most  beautiful  and  regular 
curls  possible. 

There  are  but  two  people  of  whom  the  Princess 

really  stands  in  awe.     Her  "  Papa  "  of  course  is 

22 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  23 

one,  and  I  am  not  sure  if  her  English  nurse  does 
not  occupy  an  almost  equal  position  with  His 
Majesty  in  this  respect.  "  Nanna  "  is  a  discipli- 
narian of  the  first  water,  and  like  other  disci- 
plinarians, brooks  no  interference  with  her  own 
laws,  which,  in  a  court  where  many  overlapping 
interests  exist,  is  apt  to  breed  many  difficulties. 
She  has  been  thirteen  years  in  the  service  of  the 
Empress,  has  brought  up  the  younger  children 
from  birth,  watched  by  them  together  with  their 
mother  many  nights  when  they  were  ill,  and 
practically  saved  the  life  of  Prince  Joachim,  the 
youngest  of  the  Kaiser's  six  sons,  by  her  constant 
and  faithful  care  of  his  delicate  infancy.  But  one 
by  one  her  nurslings  have  been  taken  from  her, 
not  without  a  certain  fierce  opposition  on  her 
part.  Prussian  princes  are  given  early  into 
military  hands.  It  is  a  tradition  of  their  training, 
and  the  shrewd  old  nurse  has  a  very  strong  opinion, 
shared  by  the  Kaiserin,  that  an  inexperienced 
young  officer  is  no  person  to  be  entrusted  with 
the  superintendence  of  a  young  child's  physical 
and  mental  needs.  She  has  battled  indomitably, 
and  often  successfully,  for  her  charges,  invading 
even  the  professorial  departments ;  and,  aided  and 
abetted  by  the  Court  doctor,  who  naturally  con- 
siders physical  before  intellectual  development,  has 
often  entirely  routed  the  educational  authorities, 
who  have  had  to  retire  baffled  and  disconcerted. 

But  her  triumphs  were  short-lived.  An  elabo- 
rate educational'  machine  equipped  with  expert 
professors  for  every  subject,  with  a  carefully 
thought-out  programme,  in  which  every  hour  of 
the  day  is  rigidly  mapped  out,  cannot  be  stayed 


24     MEMORIES   OF  THE  KAISER'S   COURT 

for  the  whims  of  one  obstructive  woman  obviously 
prejudiced  against  German  institutions.  The  fre- 
quent skirmishes  had  developed  into  something 
of  the  nature  of  a  campaign.  It  is  not  good  for 
children  to  be,  as  they  frequently  are  even  in  less 
illustrious  circles,  the  centre  of  warring  elements ; 
so  at  last  the  inevitable  happened,  and  with  much 
reluctance  "Nanna's"  dismissal  to  England,  of 
course  with  an  ample  pension,  was  finally  decided 
upon.  When  I  first  made  her  acquaintance  in 
Homburg  her  influence  was  a  waning  one;  her 
autocratic  rule  was  loosening — her  departure  de- 
layed only  by  the  beneficent  hand  of  Majesty, 
which  shrank  from  the  final  severance  from  a 
faithful  if  somewhat  injudicious  servant. 

"  Nanna "  subsequently  asserted  that  I  had 
been  specially  deputed  as  an  instrument  of  Pro- 
vidence to  console  her  during  those  last  few  weeks ; 
and  though  I  myself  am  not  personally  conscious 
of  any  qualifications  for  the  office  of  consoler,  I 
may  at  any  rate  lay  claim  to  the  credit  of  having 
been  a  very  efficient  safety-valve  for  her  emotions, 
which  poured  over  me  in  a  constant  flood  of 
retrospect  and  admonition.  She  was  uncom- 
promisingly British,  in  spite  of  her  thirteen  years' 
residence  abroad.  It  was  at  once  her  strength  and 
her  undoing.  She  refused  to  strike  her  flag  to  any 
mere  lady-in-waiting  or  German  Ober-Gouvernante, 
and  maintained  an  inflexible  principle  of  behaviour 
in  situations  where  the  tact  and  pliability  indis- 
pensable to  diplomatic  relations  were  most  needed. 

"Do  you  think  I  was  going  to  stand  her  putting 
the  thermometer  in  the  bath-water  to  see  how 
hot  it  was  ?  "  she  asked  me  indignantly,  referring 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  25 

to  the  absent  Ober-Gouvernante ;  and  I  agreed  that 
it  was  the  kind  of  thing  that  no  one  could  be 
expected  to  bear. 

She  was  a  good  faithful  soul,  rather  crabbed 
and  cross  sometimes,  and  she  inspired  in  the 
German  footmen  and  housemaids  under  her  orders 
a  good  deal  of  respect  and  fear,  and  also,  as  I  sub- 
sequently discovered,  a  certain  amount  of  affection, 
such  as  sterling  qualities  will  always  earn  for 
themselves  somehow ;  and  if  the  German  associa- 
tions modified  nothing  in  her  character,  the  same 
cannot  be  said  of  her  speech,  which,  while  still 
remaining  British  in  outward  form,  became  in  the 
course  of  years  somewhat  warped  from  its  original 
purity. 

"  At  Christmas,"  she  told  me  once,  when 
showing  the  gifts  that  the  Empress  had  made  to 
her,  "last  year  I  became  a  set  of  teaspoons,  and 
the  year  before  I  became  a  lovely  silver  teapot." 
She  had  obviously  confused  the  German  word 
bekommen,  "  to  get,"  with  the  similar-sounding 
but  different-meaning  English  word. 

It  was  at  a  picnic  that  I  was  first  presented  to 
His  Majesty  the  Emperor.  We  had  all  driven 
one  afternoon  in  a  series  of  carriages  to  a  beautiful 
spot  in  the  surrounding  hills,  where,  a  little  way 
into  the  forest  which  bordered  the  roadside,  a 
table  on  trestles  was  laid  for  tea.  I  had  already 
been  warned  by  the  Princess  of  the  impending  joy. 

"  You'll  see  Papa  now,  and  be  introduced," 
she  said  before  we  started,  her  face  glowing  in 
sympathy  with  what  she  supposed  I  must  be 
feeling.     "  Won't  it  be  lovely  ?  " 

His  Majesty  and  the  gentlemen  with  whom  he 


26     MEMORIES   OF  THE  KAISER'S   COURT 

is  talking  volubly  when  I  first  catch  sight  of  him 
are  all  in  uniform,  which  gleams  brightly  under  the 
deep  green  of  the  pine  trees.  The  German  officer, 
it  is  well  known,  wears  uniform  continually,  and 
adds  greatly  thereby  to  the  colour  and  gaiety  of 
the  social  functions  in  which  he  takes  part.  The 
Emperor  sets  an  example  also  in  this  respect,  and 
on  the  very  few  occasions  when  he  appears  in 
mufti  loses  a  great  deal  of  his  imposing  appearance. 
Civil  dress  has  with  him  something  of  the  baffling 
nature  of  a  disguise,  and  the  ordinary  easy  lounge 
tweed  suit,  which  many  Englishmen  wear  with 
advantage,  is  distinctly  unflattering  to  him, 
although  he  looks  well  in  a  frock-coat  and  silk  hat. 
But  he  never  appears  quite  himself,  never  really 
fits  into  any  but  military  or  naval  garments. 

"  When  His  Majesty  has  finished  talking  you 
will  be  introduced,"  said  one  of  the  ladies-in- 
waiting.  "  The  Empress  will  present  you,  so  do 
not  go  far  away." 

So  I  stand  waiting  under  the  trees,  watching 
the  footmen  while  they  place  camp-stools  and 
arrange  cakes  and  teacups,  and  hearing  gusts 
of  the  Emperor's  conversation,  which,  being  carried 
on  in  German,  is  quite  unintelligible  to  me, 
though  there  is  one  word  "  Kolossal"  which  keeps 
emerging  frequently  from  the  rumble  of  talk. 

Presently  the  group  of  uniforms  breaks  up. 
His  Majesty  turns  towards  the  Empress,  some- 
body signs  to  me,  and  I  step  out  of  the  shadows 
and  come  forward.  "  Papa's "  keen  blue  eyes 
look  at  me  with  that  characteristically  penetrating, 
alert,  rather  quizzical  brightness  which  I  after- 
wards learn  to  know  so  well.     They  seem  almost 


AUGUSTA  VICTORIA,   GERMAN    EMPRESS,   WITH    HER  DAUGHTER 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  27 

too  violent  a  contrast  with  the  deep  sunburn  of 
his  face.  My  hand  is  enveloped  in  a  hearty, 
almost  painful  handshake,  and  I  am  confronted 
with  a  few  short,  sharp  questions. 

"  From  what  part  of  England  do  I  come  ? 
Have  I  ever  been  in  Germany  before  ?  What  do 
I  think  of  Homburg  ?    Do  I  speak  German  ?  " 

I  subsequently  have  the  pleasure  of  many 
stimulating  discussions  with  His  Majesty,  when 
we  debate  a  variety  of  questions,  from  armaments 
to  suffragettes,  and  are  not  invariably  accordant 
in  our  views ;  but  on  this  occasion  our  talk  is 
necessarily  short  and  perfunctory. 

Presently  we  are  all  sitting  at  the  tea-table,  but 
the  Emperor  remains  a  little  apart,  continuing  the 
conversation  with  his  adjutants,  dipping  from 
time  to  time  his  Zwieback  into  his  tea,  as  is  per- 
mitted by  German  custom. 

Ausfliige  unci  Land-Partien — excursions  and 
picnics—are  an  integral  part  of  German  existence 
in  summer-time,  and  the  Hof  lags  no  whit  behind 
in  this  respect.  Though  the  Emperor  detests  cold, 
damp  weather,  he  leads  an  open-air  existence, 
and  loses  no  opportunity  of  being  im  Freien. 
He  breakfasts,  drinks  tea  and  eats  supper  out  in 
the  garden  whenever  the  weather  permits ;  and  it 
is  probably  for  this  reason  more  than  any  other 
that  the  principal  German  meal,  Mittagessen, 
whose  elaborateness  does  not  allow  it  to  be  served 
al  fresco,  still  keeps  its  place  in  the  middle  of  the 
day,  allowing  the  simpler  supper  to  be  served 
out  of  doors  in  the  cool  of  the  evening.  It  is  a 
charming  and  healthy  custom,  this  eating  under 
the  blue  sky,  but  naturally  only  possible  in  the 


28     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

soft,  warm  Continental  climate,  where  one  misses 
the  sharp  tang  in  the  air  of  our  sea-girt  isle. 

Near  Homburg  lies  an  ancient  Roman  fortress, 
which  has  been  excavated  and  restored  by  the 
Emperor.  Excursions  either  on  horseback  or  by 
carriage  to  the  Saalburg  are  a  great  feature  of 
the  stay  in  Homburg,  and  often  the  whole  party 
is  permitted  to  excavate  in  likely  spots  for  "  re- 
mains." The  Empress  once  disinterred  a  very 
beautiful  bowl,  and  it  is  no  unusual  thing  to 
come  across  fine  specimens  of  pottery  or  iron- 
work. Everybody  is  supplied  with  a  short 
wooden  implement  for  digging  in  the  soft  loam, 
and  the  royalties,  including  Prince  Joachim  and 
the  Princess,  together  with  the  ladies  and  gentle- 
men of  the  party,  labour  industriously  through  a 
summer  afternoon  under  the  direction  of  Professor 
Jacobi,  who  directs  the  work  of  excavation  and 
checks  any  undue  exuberance  in  digging  which 
might  lead  to  disastrous  results. 

These  digging  parties,  which  are  only  indulged 
in  on  rare  occasions,  sometimes  give  scope  for 
the  exercise  of  a  peculiarly  characteristic  form  of 
German  humour.  Often  a  broken  cup  or  vase  or 
an  ancient  Roman  dagger  made  in  an  excellent 
imitation  pate  of  chocolate  is  previously  embedded 
in  the  soil,  and  the  ardent  excavator,  glowing 
with  the  success  of  a  great  discovery,  finds  to 
his  chagrin,  on  reaching  home,  that  at  the  solemn 
washing  of  his  find,  which  always  takes  place 
with  great  ceremony  in  the  presence  of  the 
assembled  company  after  supper,  not  only  the  en- 
cumbering soil  but  also  the  whole  fabric  of  the 
precious  antique  dissolves   away  into  a  hopeless 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  29 

ruin,  at  once  revealing  the  unkind  imposture. 
This  playful  joke  is  easily  carried  out,  since  no 
one  is  allowed  to  excavate  excepting  in  carefully 
indicated  spots. 

The  Emperor  at  his  own  expense  has  rebuilt 
portions  of  the  old  Roman  settlement ;  and  the 
newness  of  these  buildings,  the  freshly-painted 
barrack-rooms  of  the  old  Roman  militia  with  their 
Latin  inscriptions  over  the  doorways,  the  bright- 
ness of  the  small  glazed  bricks  of  which  the  walls 
are  constructed,  give  a  somewhat  jarring  sense  of 
unreality  to  the  whole  Burg,  and  raise  the  question 
whether  it  is  advisable  or  not  to  attempt  to  re- 
construct the  past  in  quite  such  a  conscientious 
manner — whether  the  actual  ruins,  scanty  though 
they  may  be,  do  not  tell  their  tale  better  than 
these  new  up-to-date  buildings  so  curiously  well- 
equipped  with  modern  appliances. 

But  the  buildings  have  their  uses  quite  apart 
from  intrinsic  interest,  as  is  proved  one  afternoon 
when  the  children,  including  the  "  Hessians  "  and 
"  Greeks,"  are  invited  to  the  Saalburg  by  the 
Empress,  who  is  herself  present,  and  a  heavy  rain 
coming  on,  a  sort  of  spurious  hockey  game,  played 
with  croquet  mallets,  is  organized  and  pursued 
with  the  greatest  vigour  in  the  "Hall  of  the 
Centurions."  The  Emperor,  who  is  out  driving 
somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood,  arrives  with  his 
suite  during  a  crisis  in  the  game,  and  is  much 
amused  to  watch  the  small  horde  of  princelings, 
among  whom  his  own  daughter  is  very  conspicu- 
ous, as  they  chase  the  ball  backwards  and  forwards, 
sometimes  only  missing  his  own  Imperial  legs  by 
decimal  fractions  of  inches. 


30     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Even  in  those  first  early  days  at  Homburg  it 
is  at  once  noticeable  what  a  great  difference  the 
presence  of  the  Emperor  makes  in  the  atmosphere 
of  the  court.  +A  certain  vitality  and  still  more  a 
certain  amount  of  strain  become  visible.  Every- 
body is  to  be  ready  to  go  anywhere  and  do  anything 
at  a  moment's  notice— to  be  always  in  the  appro- 
priate costume  necessary  for  walking,  riding,  or 
driving.  His  Majesty  walks  a  great  deal.  Often 
we  drive  out  some  distance  beyond  Homburg 
among  the  lovely  mountains  and  forests,  and 
descending  from  our  carriages  tramp  along  at  a 
brisk  pace  for  several  miles,  when  the  carriages 
meet  us,  and  we  return.  It  is  altogether  a  strenu- 
ous existence  for  the  entourage,  who  must  always, 
so  to  speak,  be  mobilized  for  active  service,  which 
is  probably  just  what  the  Emperor  wishes.  From 
early  morning  till  night  there  is  hardly  a  moment 
of  respite  from  duty,  and  my  own  day  is  a  very 
crowded  one,  with  hardly  time  left  for  the  necessary 
frequent  changes  of  costume,  which  are  one  of  the 
chief  burdens  of  existence  at  court. 

An  elaborate  toilette  is  customary  at  the  mid- 
day dinner — something  in  silk  or  satin,  with  a  long 
train — and  it  must  be  completed  by  the  inevitable 
fan  and  white  glace  gloves,  of  which  one  is  worn 
on  the  hand,  the  other  carried. 

We  all  assemble  before  dinner  in  a  large  drawing- 
room,  where  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  suite 
and  any  visitors  who  are  invited  stand  about 
talking  till  the  appearance  of  the  Emperor  and 
Empress.  Often  the  Princess  comes  in  before 
them  with  Prince  Joachim.  The  folding-doors 
are  thrown  wide  open  for  the  entrance  of  Their 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  31 

Majesties,  who  always  appear  at  different  doors, 
the  Emperor  usually  being  last,  and  are  announced 
by  a  footman.  Everybody  at  once  stops  talking, 
wheels  about  and  bows  simultaneously. 

One  day  the  guests  at  dinner  include  an  elderly 
lady  and  gentleman  of  an  old-fashioned  German 
type,  who  shrink  into  a  corner  and  look  rather 
clever  and  scientific.  The  Princess  and  Prince 
Joachim  run  up  and  kiss  the  old  lady  and  shake 
hands  with  the  old  gentleman. 

He  is  Professor  von  Esmarck,  who,  when  he 
was  a  struggling  young  doctor,  fell  in  love  with 
a  Princess— the  aunt  of  the  present  Empress  of 
Germany — and  married  her.  The  elderly  lady 
with  the  tightly-brushed  hair  is  his  wife.  They 
live  in  a  pleasant  little  house  in  Homburg,  and 
always  dine  at  the  Schloss  when  the  court  is 
staying  there. 

My  own  experience  would  lead  me  to  testify  to 
the  truth  of  what  I  have  read  somewhere,  that  the 
chief  function  of  a  lady-  or  gentleman-in-waiting 
is  to  stand  in  a  draught  and  smile. 

"  Standing  and  waiting,"  said  my  kind  Countess, 
"that  is  the  chief  part  of  our  lives;  it  makes 
one  mentally  and  bodily  weary  till  one  gets  used 
to  it." 

Hand-shaking  too  is  practised  to  a  considerable 
extent.  It  does  not  seem  to  matter  how  many 
times  people  have  met  before  in  the  day  and 
shaken  hands,  they  generally  seem  to  like  to  do 
it  again  while  waiting  for  dinner.  Presumably  it 
helps  to  pass  the  time  away,  and  gives  an  excuse 
for  walking  about  from  group  to  group.  My 
place   at    the  oval  dinner-table  is  at    one  end, 


32     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

between  Prince  Joachim's  governor  and  his  tutor. 
The  Emperor  and  Empress  are  seated  at  the  sides, 
opposite  to  each  other,  while  the  guests,  inter- 
mingled with  court  ladies  and  gentlemen,  radiate 
right  and  left.  Footmen  wearing  the  court 
livery,  which  includes  rather  ill-fitting  gaiters, 
wait  behind  every  chair  and  the  Emperor's 
"  Jager "  in  green  uniform  attends  exclusively 
to  his  master's  wants.  Red  and  white  wine  and 
champagne  are  served  to  all  the  guests,  but 
neither  the  Emperor  nor  the  Empress  drinks  any- 
thing but  fruit-juice  as  a  beverage.  William  II 
has  a  horror  of  excessive  indulgence  in  alcohol, 
and  sets  his  face  against  it  by  both  precept  and 
example. 

"  You  English  people,"  he  says  to  me  on  one 
occasion,  "  you  drink  those  awful  fiery  spirits — 
horrible  stuff — whisky,  brandy,  what  not  ?  How 
can  you  imbibe  such  quantities  of  poisonous 
liquid — ruining  your  constitutions  ?  Simply  ruin- 
ing them — whisky-and-soda  everywhere — no,  it's 
awful :  I  tasted  it  once — like  liquid  fire — ugh  ! 
Your  drinking  habits  are  fearful." 

He  admonishes  me  for  our  national  failings  with 
uplifted  finger  and  serious  face,  and  I  try  feebly  to 
maintain  that,  though  in  the  past  we  have  been 
undeniably  guilty  and  still  drink  far  more  than  is 
good  for  us,  yet  according  to  published  statistics 
we  are  year  by  year  growing  more  sober — that  the 
percentage  of  drunkenness  in  the  army  is  slowly 
but  surely  decreasing,  that  there  are  fewer  crimes 
owing  to  drunkenness,  and  so  on — but  His  Majesty 
evidently  has  more  faith  in  his  own  observations 
than  in  any  amount  of  statistics,  and  continues 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  33 

dubiously  to  shake  his  head  and  his  finger  at  me 
as  though  I  were  personally  responsible. 

Dinner  is  finished  in  about  three-quarters  of 
an  hour,  and  at  a  sign  from  the  Empress  every  one 
rises  and,  the  ladies  preceding  the  gentlemen,  all  file 
slowly  into  the  salon,  where  coffee  is  served  and 
every  one  stands  and  drinks  it.  This  standing 
about  after  dinner  is  one  of  the  most  tedious  of 
all  court  duties,  lasting  sometimes  for  an  hour. 
As  the  Emperor  and  Empress  never  sit  down,  but 
move  from  one  group  to  another,  talking  to  this 
or  that  guest,  the  rest  of  us  prop  ourselves  sur- 
reptitiously against  projecting  pieces  of  furniture 
and  try  to  look  as  happy  as  circumstances  permit. 
The  little  Princess  and  Prince  Joachim  flit  from 
one  person  to  another,  wrangling  according  to 
custom  in  subdued  undertones  so  that  "  Papa  " 
may  not  hear,  trying  to  tease  their  mother  into 
some  concession,  or  whispering  their  experiences 
into  the  ears  of  one  of  the  ladies.  There  is  always 
a  good  deal  of  surreptitious  stifled  giggling,  and 
it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  waiting  is  an  irksome 
restraint  to  their  active  minds. 

If  there  are  a  great  many  important  guests,  the 
children  dine  alone  with  their  governor  and  myself, 
when  they  are  expected  to  speak  English  all  the 
time  ;  but  they  lapse  into  German  with  the  greatest 
facility,  especially  when  the  usual  zanking  begins. 
They  also  every  evening  eat  supper  together,  con- 
tinuing cheerfully  and  acrimoniously  their  criti- 
cisms of  each  other's  conduct.  Prince  Joachim 
indulges  in  the  usual  cheap  sneers  at  femininity 
with  which  many  schoolboys  goad  their  sisters 
into  revolt. 

3 


34     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

"  Mddchen,"  he  remarks  with  superb  disdain, 
"  die  Mddchen " 

"  Speak  English/'  commands  his  governor,  who 
is  anxious  to  improve  his  knowledge  of  that 
language. 

"  Girls,"  replies  the  Prince,  speaking  with  dis- 
tinct and  aggravating  deliberation,  "  Girls  cannot 
be  soldiers — zey  are  no  use  at  all.  It  is  good  zat 
we  have  but  one  girl  in  our  family.  She  cannot 
be  an  officer.  She  cannot  fight.  She  cannot 
ride " 

"  Much  better  than  you — she  rides,"  returns 
the  incensed  Princess.  "  You  who  fall  off  your 
horse  if  it  gives  a  little  jump.  Pfui ! "  She 
bangs  a  spoon  on  the  table  to  emphasise  her  in- 
dignation. 

The  Prince  is  delighted  at  the  success  of  his 
efforts,   and  continues  to  jeer  unmercifully. 

"Girls  can't  ride,"  he  reiterates;  "zey  can't 
fight — zey  are  always  crying — zey  are  always 
cross " 

"  Try  to  say  '  they,'  not  '  zey,'  "  I  interpose, 
hoping  to  divert  his  thoughts  to  other  subjects. 

"  Joachim  can't  speak  English  one  bit,"  says 
his  sister;  "he  says  'zey'  and  'zese'  and  'zose,' 
and  '  I  drink  your  healse.'  He  is  a  silly  boy  ;  he 
can't  jump,  he  can't  play  tennis,  he  can't  ride — ; " 
and  so  on  ad  infinitum. 

Twice  a  week  after  we  have  finished  supper  I 
take  Prince  Joachim  away  and  read  English  with 
him  in  his  room,  while  the  Governor  sits  listening 
in  a  chair,  his  long  red-striped  military  grey  legs 
stretched  out  before  him,  his  hands  clasped  on  his 
knee,  an  absorbed,  concentrated  look  in  his  eyes. 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  35 

The  book  chosen  is  Stevenson's  immortal  "  Trea- 
sure Island,"  for  the  Prince  has  stipulated  that 
whatever  we  read  shall  not  be  about  Muster- 
Kinder,  which  I  interpret  as  meaning  "  pattern- 
children,"  the  kind  abounding  in  certain  books, 
but  happily  seldom  met  with  in  real  life.  I  con- 
sider it  a  hopeful  and  healthy  sign  in  the  Prince, 
his  objection  to  Muster- Kinder,  and  promise  that 
my  reading  shall  be  blameless  in  this  particular 
respect.  He  seems  a  little  suspicious  as  we  settle 
down  and  I  open  at  the  first  chapter,  but  before 
many  pages  have  been  turned  he  is  holding  his 
breath  to  listen,  and  his  verdict  on  my  choice  of 
a  book  is  that  it  is  magnificent — prachtvoll. 

It  may  here  be  remarked  that  there  are  few 
if  any  original  books  in  the  German  language 
written  especially  for  boys,  who  have  to  content 
themselves  with  translations  of  Fenimore  Cooper's 
works,  "Robinson  Crusoe"  and  "The  Swiss 
Family  Robinson,"  and  of  late  years  with  the 
"Adventures"  of  the  famous  Sherlock  Holmes, 
who  has  a  great  vogue  upon  the  Continent,  and 
whose  history  may  be  bought  at  almost  every 
railway  bookstall  abroad. 

Not  only  the  Prince,  but  also  the  Governor,  in 
spite  of  his  thirty  years  and  his  military  experience, 
immediately  fall  under  the  spell  of  the  story, 
notwithstanding  the  many  words  in  it  of  which 
they  do  not  know  the  meaning.  When  the  hour 
comes  to  an  end  and  the  Prince  begs  for  an  ex- 
tension of  his  lesson,  the  Governor  pulls  out  his 
watch  and  after  a  slight  hesitation,  smilingly  grants 
another  ten  minutes  before  bed-time. 

"  Schnell,    schnell,"- — "quick,    quick,"    implores 


36     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

the  Prince,  and  I  hurry  on  towards  the  fatal  Black 
Spot  and  the  fate  of  the  blind  man,  and  am  pressed 
to  come  again  as  soon  as  possible  and  not  wait 
till  the  lesson  becomes  due,  because  they  both — 
Prince  and  Governor — are  so  anxious  to  know 
what  happens  next. 

At  the  end  of  the  following  week  the  court  is 
to  leave  Homburg  for  its  permanent  residence — if 
anything  so  unpermanent  can  be  so  termed — in 
the  New  Palace  near  Potsdam,  where  the  Ober- 
Gouvemante  will  be  waiting  to  share  my  multi- 
farious labours,  and  where  I  am  assured  that  the 
regular  routine — "  only  we  never  have  any  regular 
routine,  it  is  always  being  broken,"  sighs  the  Coun- 
tess— at  any  rate  an  approximate  routine  may  be 
confidently  anticipated. 

I  pack  feverishly  in  the  small  intervals  of  time 
snatched  from  my  other  occupations,  and  at  half- 
past  seven  one  evening  go  down  to  the  courtyard, 
where  files  of  carriages  are  waiting.  I  am  sup- 
posed to  accompany  the  Princess  to  the  station,  but 
at  the  last  moment  something  is  changed  and  I 
am  sent  off  with  a  young  adjutant  whose  English 
vocabulary  is  very  limited.  We  drive  down  the 
long  street,  packed  with  people  waiting  to  see 
Their  Majesties  go  by.  They  cheer  and  wave 
enthusiastic  handkerchiefs  at  each  carriage  as  it 
passes,  and  though  we  may  not  usurp  the  royal 
prerogative  and  bow  our  acknowledgments,  we 
assume  affable  expressions  indicative  of  vicarious 
enjoyment  of  their  exuberant  loyalty,  and  so 
arrive  presently  at  the  royal  waiting-room,  which 
is  gaily  decorated  with  flags  and  evergreens.  A 
crowd  of  officers  and  adjutants  are  on  the  steps 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  37 

awaiting  the  arrival  of  Their  Majesties,  and  here 
my  Princess  comes  presently,  having  driven  in 
with  her  brother. 

In  the  waiting-room  sits  the  venerable  old  Duke 
of  Cambridge,  who  is  staying  in  Homburg  and 
has  come  to  say  "  farewell'  to  the  Emperor  and 
Empress,  whose  approach  is  heralded  by  a  louder 
burst  of  cheering,  which  swells  and  increases  out- 
side the  station. 

The  royal  train,  painted  in  blue  and  cream- 
colour  with  gold  decorations,  is  alongside  the 
platform,  the  regulation  red  carpet  is  laid  down, 
maids  and  valets  peep  furtively  from  the  windows 
of  distant  compartments,  footmen  are  hurrying  to 
and  fro,  while  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the 
suite  continue  their  normal  occupation  of  waiting, 
chatting  to  each  other  in  the  usual  desultory 
manner.  Presently  Their  Majesties  emerge  from 
the  waiting-room  and  walk  over  the  red  carpet 
into  the  train,  we  all  get  in  after  them,  and  our 
journey  begins  among  the  frantic  "  hochs  !  "  and 
"  hurrahs  !  "    of  the  crowd  outside. 

We  in  England  may  believe  in  our  own  loyalty, 
but  I  doubt  if  we  can  compete  with  a  German 
crowd  in  giving  it  expression.  We  are  never  able 
quite  to  abandon  ourselves  to  the  same  unre- 
strained, wild  enthusiasm,  are  always  just  a  little 
too  self-conscious — too  afraid  of  being  absurd. 
The  German  is  untrammelled  by  considerations  of 
that  kind ;  he  revels  in  his  own  emotions,  encour- 
ages his  wife  and  family  to  revel  in  theirs,  waves 
patriotic  flags  on  the  least  provocation,  puts  his 
small  son  of  six  into  a  complete  miniature  Hussar 
uniform,   lets  him  swagger  about  in   the   streets 


88     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

wearing  it,  to  the  undiluted  envy  of  other  small 
boys,  sings  "  Heil  dir  im  Sieger-Kranz"  (which 
goes  to  the  same  tune  as  "  God  Save  the  King," 
and  has  therefore  a  pleasantly  familiar  air  to 
British  ears),  and  is  rather  proud  than  ashamed 
at  being  moved  to  tears  of  national  pride  as  his 
Kaiser  passes  by.  No  nation  is  more  emotionally 
patriotic  than  the  German,  and  that  patriotism 
finds  its  chief  centre  in  the  personality  of  their 
Emperor. 

So  that,  as  long  as  the  daylight  lasted,  outside 
every  little  wayside  station  and  crossing  was  a 
palpitating  crowd  of  little  girls  wearing  wreaths 
of  wilted  flowers  on  their  heads,  of  little  bare- 
legged boys  waving  Prussian  flags,  of  perspiring 
officials  of  Vereine — any  kind  of  Association  for 
doing  anything — in  hot-looking  dress- suits  and 
tall  chimney-pot  hats :  there  they  stood  as  they 
had  obviously  been  standing  for  some  hours, 
wedged  together  in  one  solid,  impenetrable  mass, 
leaning  heavily  upon  each  other  in  rows  against  the 
station  railings,  while  on  the  platform,  where  no 
one  else  was  allowed  to  intrude,  the  station- 
master,  in  his  military-looking  blue  uniform, 
remained  saluting  with  his  hand  at  his  red  cap 
as  the  train  steamed  slowly  by.  Always  the 
same  station  and  the  same  crowd  it  seemed, 
with  just  a  different  name  over  the  booking-office 
door — the  same  Eingang  and  Ausgang,  the  same 
brown,  alert  peasant  faces  gazing  through  the 
railings. 

The  Princess  and  Prince  Joachim  had  their 
supper  in  the  long  dining-car  of  the  train,  together 
with  the  Governor,  tutor  and  myself ;  and  as  they 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  39 

imbibed  their  soup  and  ate  their  Kalte  Schnitzel 
were  in  full  view  of  the  shouting  crowd. 

By  means  of  frequent  promptings  they  were 
induced  to  suspend  the  customary  zanking  and 
distribute  a  few  bows  among  the  people,  Prince 
Joachim  in  particular  distinguishing  himself  by 
an  air  of  fine  courtesy  as  he  raised  his  round 
white  sailor  cap,  which  he  flourished  gracefully 
over  his  head  in  answer  to  the  enthusiastic  roars 
that  swelled  and  died  outside. 

We  had  to  hurry  over  our  meal  so  as  to  allow 
of  the  table  being  re-laid  for  the  supper  of  Their 
Majesties  and  the  suite,  so  we  swallowed  one 
course  after  another  with  headlong  speed,  curtail- 
ing conversation  to  its  utmost  limits,  and  when 
the  last  mouthful  was  despatched  the  children 
went  to  say  good-night  to  their  parents  while  the 
rest  of  us  retired  to  the  sleeping-coupes  provided 
for  the  night,  although  it  was  as  yet  much  too 
early  to  think  of  going  to  bed. 

The  royal  train,  in  which  I  made  many  journeys, 
is,  as  may  be  imagined,  "  replete  with  every 
modern  convenience  "  of  travel,  but  this  did  not 
prevent  it  oscillating,  banging  and  shaking  to 
an  appalling  extent.  One  was  hurled  backwards 
and  forwards  and  jolted  and  jerked  with  every 
form  of  movement  known  to  science.  Sometimes 
we  seemed  to  be  moving  over  rippled  granite,  and 
then  a  horizontal  spasm  mixed  up  with  weird 
scrunchings  seized  the  whole  train,  which  appeared 
to  be  having  some  kind  of  hysterical  fit.  Occa- 
sionally we  pulled  up  with  a  jolt  and  jar  and 
remained  stationary  for  a  few  minutes,  before 
resuming  our  shuddering,  jerking  journey,  which 


40     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

stretched    out    every     mile     into     a    nightmare 
length. 

Time  seems  interminably  long  in  such  circum- 
stances, and  the  weary  hours  dragged  on  very 
slowly.  An  attempt  at  undressing  forced  into 
the  foreground  the  question  of  how — in  view 
of  the  difficulty  of  taking  off  clothes — one  was 
ever  likely  to  be  in  a  favourable  position  to  put 
them  on  again.  Brush  and  comb,  hairpins,  all 
went  sliding  gently  away  on  to  the  floor  ;  and  after 
washing  in  a  basin  in  which  a  miniature  tempest 
of  soap-tipped  wave-crests  was  raging,  I  renounced 
the  adventure  of  undressing  as  one  needing  more 
intrepidity  than  I  possessed,  and  lay  down  uncom- 
fortably in  most  of  my  clothes  to  wait  for  morning. 
Through  the  ventilator  came  a  choking,  smoke- 
laden  odour.  The  pillow,  covered  with  beautifully 
fine  linen,  on  which  I  laid  my  head  was  hard 
as  the  nether  millstone  and  productive  of  a  dis- 
locating feeling  in  the  neck  ;  the  sheets  and  blankets 
were  of  the  finest  and  best,  but  no  one  wants  to 
go  to  bed  in  one's  garments  of  the  day.  We  were 
due  to  arrive  in  Wildpark,  the  station  of  the  New 
Palace,  somewhere  about  eight  o'clock — nine  hours 
more  of  the  terrible  shaking.  I  lay  down  and 
turned  out  the  electric  light,  and  became  for  the 
rest  of  the  night  a  mere  oscillating  body,  whirled 
continually  back  and  forth  through  space.  For- 
tunately the  dawn  comes  early  in  August,  and  at 
the  first  faint  greyness  of  the  atmosphere  I  sat 
up  giddily  and  watched  the  flat  Prussian  dew- 
bathed  landscape  glide  by,  so  different  from  the 
hilly  region  we  had  come  from  the  night  before. 
Somewhere  about  five  o'clock  a  low  tap  comes 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  41 

to  my  door,  and  "  Nanna,"  with  her  finger  on  her 
lip,  hands  in  a  cup  of  tea  which  she  has  managed 
to  produce  from  somewhere. 

"  I  knew  you'd  not  sleep  much,"  she  whispers. 
"  Did  you  ever  know  trains  shake  like  this  one  ? 
You'd  think  they'd  manage  to  take  His  Majesty 
along  at  a  more  comfortable  pace,  wouldn't  you? 
A  royal  train  indeed  !  Enough  to  shake  you  to 
pieces."  "Nanna"  loses  no  opportunity  of 
drawing  comparisons  to  the  disadvantage  of  the 
German  nation,  which  she  considers  hardly  worthy 
to  be  governed  by  the  illustrious  family  she 
serves. 

I  drink  her  tea  with  much  appreciation,  and 
she  comes  and  sits  beside  me  and  converses,  or 
I  might  say  talks — for  it  is  more  outpouring 
than  conversation — in  a  hoarse  whisper,  so 
that  she  may  not  disturb  the  gentleman  who  is 
supposed  to  be  sleeping  in  the  next  coupe,  but  is 
probably  lying  awake  yearning  for  the  end  of  the 
journey. 

The  greyness  of  the  fields  departs,  they  are 
threaded  with  gleams  of  colour  as  the  sun  slowly 
penetrates  the  clouds  ;  great  wreaths  and  ragged 
eddies  of  mist  begin  to  rise,  cattle  stand  about 
half  plunged  in  an  ocean  of  vapour,  the  peasants 
are  at  work,  women  with  red  handkerchiefs  tied 
over  their  heads  kneel  among  the  bright  green 
of  the  potato  crops  ;  the  dreary  night  has  departed, 
a  new  day  is  born. 

The  train  rattles  and  jerks  its  way  along. 
"Nanna's"  voice  continues  to  croon  in  my  ear 
words  of  warning,  admonishment,  advice.  I 
listen   without   hearing   or   comprehension.     Her 


42     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

voice  is  as  some  soothing  accompaniment  to  my 
thoughts,  giving  a  pleasant  sense  of  companion- 
ship without  exacting  much  attention. 

Somewhere  about  seven  o'clock  another  soft 
tap  is  heard  and  the  door  slides  back,  revealing  a 
footman  with  another  tray  of  tea  and  Zwieback — 
those  nice  brown  crunchy  toast-like  biscuits  which 
pervade  the  Fatherland. 

"  You'll  have  your  proper  breakfast  when  you 
arrive  at  the  New  Palace,"  whispers  "  Nanna," 
"  but  you'll  not  get  it  much  before  nine.  You'd 
better  have  some  more." 

I  accept  the  fresh  tea  with  pleasure,  and  listen 
as  I  drink  it  to  the  movement  in  the  corridor. 
There  is  a  sliding  of  doors,  a  sound  of  subdued 
voices — everybody  is  getting  up.  Nanna  disap- 
pears to  dress  her  Princess,  who  has  slept  soundly 
all  night — happy  capacity  of  childhood  ! — and 
when  I  peep  out  into  the  corridor  I  see  some  of 
the  ladies-in-waiting  already  dressed,  looking 
rather  wearily  out  of  the  window.  A  man  comes 
in  and  makes  my  bed-clothes  disappear  in  some 
miraculous  manner,  leaving  behind  him,  instead 
of  the  two  sleeping  berths,  in  one  of  which  I  had 
lain  awake  so  long,  just  the  ordinary  seat  of  a 
first-class  carriage,  of  which  the  upper  berth  now 
forms  the  padded  back. 

Some  of  the  ladies  kindly  come  and  sit  beside 
me  and  point  out  interesting  objects  of  the  land- 
scape. The  Countess  is  one  of  them,  and  grows 
quite  excited  when  at  length  a  round  green  dome 
is  visible  over  some  trees. 

"  There,  there!  "  she  cries,  "  that  is  the  roof  of 
the  New  Palace ;  we  shall  be  there  very  soon — I 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  43 

hope  you  will  be  very  happy  there,"  and  she 
squeezes  my  hand  in  the  kindly  sympathetic, 
sentimental,  but  very  delightful  manner  of  old- 
fashioned  Germans.  She  feels  that  it  is  an  im- 
portant day  of  my  life,  the  moment  when  I  enter 
what  she  calls  the  "  real  home"  of  the  Emperor 
and  Empress. 

"  Like  Windsor  to  your  King  and  Queen,"  she 
explains,  fearing  that  the  forty  castles  which  the 
Emperor  possesses  may  create  some  confusion  in 
my  ideas.  "  Here  is  their  real  '  home,'  you 
know." 

The  train,  which  has  been  proceeding  much 
more  evenly  since  we  entered  the  Prussian  district, 
glides  smoothly  into  a  station,  coming  gently  and 
imperceptibly  to  a  stop.  A  few  officers  in  uniform 
are  waiting  at  the  door  of  the  simple,  picturesque 
wooden  Warte-Saal — which  a  few  years  later  is 
to  be  replaced  by  a  substantial  stone  building 
provided  with  lifts  and  luxurious  and  artistically- 
furnished  waiting-rooms. 

There  is  a  sudden  opening  of  carriage -doors  and 
activity  of  footmen  and  "  Jagers."  The  Emperor, 
enveloped  in  a  long  grey  cavalry  cloak,  strides 
across  the  platform  with  the  Empress  and  his 
children,  salutes  the  waiting  officers,  pauses  for 
a  word  with  each,  and  then  drives  away.  A  long 
row  of  carriages  is  in  waiting.  Everything  seems 
admirably  organized  ;  no  confusion,  no  waiting. 
My  turn  comes,  and  I  am  whirled  away  out  of  the 
station  yard  across  a  road  where  people  are  stand- 
ing kept  in  order  by  a  green-clad  Gendarm,  along 
a  pleasant  tree-shaded  avenue,  past  some  sentries 
who  guard  a  small  iron  gate,  over  the  Mopke,  a 


44     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

big  open  gravelled  space  bordered  by  fine  build- 
ings on  each  side,  and  past  the  front  of  the  huge 
Palace,  which  reminds  one  a  little  of  Versailles  and 
is  built  in  French  Rococo  style.  I  descend  at  a 
broad  flight  of  stone  steps,  and  am  ushered  by  a 
pleasant-faced  footman  through  what  looks  like 
a  window,  but  is  really  a  door,  into  a  corridor,  up 
a  wooden  staircase,  painted  white,  to  the  apart- 
ment which  is  to  be  my  future  home  for  the  next 
few  years.  It  is  a  lofty,  pleasant  room,  and  in  spite 
of  its  bare,  uninhabited  look,  has  an  air  of  bright- 
ness and  repose.  The  sunshine  floods  it  with 
gleams  of  welcome  ;  outside  are  trees  in  which  the 
birds  are  singing  ;  a  little  dog  in  the  courtyard 
below,  a  [quaint  little  beast  of  the  j  dachshund 
ireed,j  looks  up  at  me  as  I  stand  at  the  open 
French  windows  and  gives  his  tail  a  depreca- 
tory  wag.      He  is  obviously   determined  to  be 

friendly.3 

The  New  Palace  has  an  alluring  aspect.  It  is 
very  palatial  of  course,  looked  at  as  a  whole ;  but 
there  is  something  very  home-like,  gracious,  and 
friendly  in  this  particular  corner  of  it,  in  the 
smiling! flowers  which  grow  on  each  balcony,  in 
the  canary  whose  notes  can  be  heard  trilling  from 
the  dining-room  ofjthe  Princessvclose  at  hand,  in  the 
pleasant  face  of  a  white-capped  elderly  housemaid, 
who  enters  with  a  bow  and  a  Guten-Tag,  and  an 
expression  of  delight  at  my  arrival.  She  comes 
and  shakes  hands,  and  says  something  congratu- 
latory and  welcoming.  It  is  very  German,  and 
strikes  one  as  intensely  pleasant  and  human,  this 
obvious  kindness  and  goodwill.  From  this  hour 
Frau  Pusch — the  housemaid — is  the  cushion  and 


HOMBURG-VOR-DER-HOHE  45 

buffer  of  my  existence,  intervening  between  me 
and  a  harsh  world.  She  teaches  me  German, 
mends  and  irons  my  clothes,  packs  and  unpacks, 
fetches  and  carries,  is  always  cheerful  and 
smiling. 


A 


CHAPTER    III 

THE"  NEW    PALACE 

LTHOUGH  making  personal  acquaintance 
with  thirty  of  the  numerous  palaces  and 
country-houses  belonging  to  the  Emperor, 
I  only  resided  in  nine,  and  of  these  the  Neues 
Palais,  or  New  Palace,  near  Potsdam  easily 
held  the  first  place  in  my  affections.  For  one 
thing  it  bore  the  aspect  of  a  permanent  home, 
while  other  perhaps  more  beautiful  royal  resi- 
dences partook  of  the  nature  of  an  hotel,  in  which 
one  never  quite  settled  down,  but  remained 
with  boxes  only  partially  unpacked,  waiting  for 
the  notice  of  departure. 

This  fine  Palace,  situated  about  twenty  miles 
from  Berlin,  was  built  in  the  style  of  Louis  XV 
known  as  Rococo,  on  a  very  marshy  piece  of 
ground  by  Frederick  the  Great,  that  most  notable 
Hohenzollern  whose  spirit  still  dominates  the 
Prussian  nation.  Why  he  did  not  choose  a  better 
site,  where  good  sites  are  so  many,  must  always 
remain  one  of  those  mysteries  which  deepen  with 
time. 

"  It  was  probably  in  a  spirit  of  pure  obstinacy," 
said  one  German  officer  with  whom  I  discussed  the 
subject.  "  People  said  it  was  impossible  to  build  a 
palace  on  such  a  spot,  and  so  he  set  out  to  prove 

46 


THE   NEW  PALACE  47 

that  it  was  not.  He  also  wished  to  show  that  there 
was  still  money  left  in  his  coffers  after  the  Silesian 
wars.  But  he  did  not  really  want  the  palace,  and 
never  lived  in  it  for  any  length  of  time." 

It  is  a  cheerful-looking  red  building,  with  queer 
dimpled  monstrous  cherub  heads  and  wreaths  of 
flowers  in  yellow  sandstone  engirdling  the  upper 
windows.  On  the  edge  of  the  roof  and  along  the 
terrace  below  stand  rows  of  pseudo-Greek  sand- 
stone statues  in  flowing  draperies,  with  whose 
features  the  frost  often  takes  liberties,  making 
necessary  a  yearly  renovation  and  replacement  of 
noses  and  fingers.  Along  the  raised  terraces  and 
against  the  railings  stand  large  orange-trees  in 
tubs,  which  are  every  autumn  taken  up  to  the 
"  Orangerie  "  and  brought  back  to  their  places  in 
the  spring. 

On  one  side  lies  the  big  Sand-Hof  or  gravelled 
courtyard,  divided  by  high  iron  railings  edged 
with  grass  and  flowers  from  the  Mopke,  the  fine 
wide  space  where  in  former  days  Frederick  drilled 
his  soldiers.  On  the  other  side  of  the  Mopke 
stand  the  royal  stables,  the  kitchens,  the  chapel 
of  the  Palace,  and,  divided  by  a  beautiful  stone 
arcade,  the  two  "  Communs,"  in  one  of  which  is 
housed  the  Palace  guard,  which  occupies  the  ground 
floor,  while  the  Commandant  and  his  family 
inhabit  the  first  floor.    . 

The  Sand-Hof  faces  the  apartments  of  the 
Emperor  and  Empress,  which  on  the  other  side 
have  an  outlook  onto  the  spacious  garden,  laid 
out  in  trim  beds,  with  fountains  on  each  side — a 
garden  to  look  at  rather  than  to  walk  in  ;  but 
hidden  away  in  corners  behind  big  beech  hedges, 


48     MEMORIES   OF  THE  KAISER'S   COURT 

are  other  shady  gardens  of  trees — rose-gardens, 
with  grassy  lawns,  the  children's  garden,  one  with 
a  tea-house,  where  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
breakfast  in  the  summer-time  with  their  family. 

Most  old  palaces  that  I  have  seen  are  con- 
spicuous for  their  splendour  and  still  more  for 
their  inconvenience —they  are  structurally  almost 
incapable  of  being  adapted  to  modern  require- 
ments; and  the  Neues  Palais  is  no  exception  to 
this  rule,  though  wonders  have  been  done  in  the 
matter  of  the  installation  of  adequate  heating 
apparatus  and  bathrooms.  Most  of  this  work 
was  accomplished  under  the  superintendence  and 
on  the  initiative  of  the  late  Empress  Frederick, 
whose  practical,  energetic  mind  seems  to  have 
grappled  successfully  with  the  great  problems  of 
plumbing  and  domestic  efficiency  which  present 
themselves  with  perhaps  more  insistence  in  palaces 
than  elsewhere. 

But  there  was  no  way  of  overcoming  the  difficulty 
caused  by  the  lack  of  any  passage  in  the  wing 
where  the  apartment  of  the  Princess  was  situated 
on  the  first  floor — the  Prinzen-W  ohnung  or  Dwelling 
of  the  Princes  as  it  is  called.  Here  two  magnifi- 
cent salons  had  been  transformed  into  bedrooms, 
one  for  the  Princess,  one  for  the  Ober-Gouvernante. 
These  were  obviously  originally  intended  for  recep- 
tion-rooms, having  doors  at  each  end  and  in  the 
middle,  and  were  the  only  means  of  communica- 
tion between  the  sitting-room  and  dining-room,  so 
that  whoever  passed  from  one  to  the  other  was 
perforce  obliged  to  traverse  the  whole  length  of 
one  of  these  rooms,  unless  they  went  downstairs 
and    passed  through  the    courtyard  to  another 


THE   NEW   PALACE  49 

staircase,  which  was  what  the  servants  had  to  do 
in  all  weathers. 

In  a  smaller  but  very  beautiful  salon  forming 
the  entrance  to  the  Prinzen  -W ohnung  a  cooking- 
stove  had  been  placed  in  the  massive  marble 
fireplace  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  dishes  warm, 
for  all  the  food  of  the  Palace  is  prepared  in  a 
kitchen  situated  in  the  "  Communs,"  a  building  on 
the  far  side  of  the  Mopke  communicating  with 
the  Palace  by  a  long  underground  passage  along 
which  the  dishes  are  brought. 

Here  it  may  be  pointed  out  that  all  the  stables, 
carriages,  kitchens,  etc.,  as  well  as  the  palaces 
themselves,  are  always  officially  styled  "  royal," 
not  "  imperial,"  as  they  belong  to  the  Kingdom 
of  Prussia  and  are  not  part  of  the  appanage  of 
the  Empire. 

The  sitting-room  I  occupied  first  on  coming  to 
the  Neues  Palais  remained  just  as  it  had  been 
at  the  time  it  was  built,  somewhere  about  1770. 
Its  walls  were  covered  with  small  irregular  pieces 
of  dark  blue  glass  set  in  cement  and  carried  up 
into  the  centre  of  the  ceiling,  in  which  was  inserted 
a  circle  of  small  mirrors  where  at  night,  if  one 
chanced  to  look  up,  one  saw  the  lamplight  reflected. 
Over  the  big  marble  chimneypiece,  bearing  the 
cipher  of  Frederick  the  Great,  was  another  high 
mirror  of  the  same  period  (Louis  XV)  with  a 
golden-rayed  sun  fixed  in  its  upper  part.  I  never 
was  able  to  learn  the  meaning  of  this  sun,  which 
was  repeated  in  other  palaces  built  by  the 
famous  King  of  Prussia. 

Above  the  blue  salon  was  an  equally  spacious 

bedroom  situated  at  an  angle  of  the  palace  wing 
4 


50     MEMORIES   OF  THE  KAISER'S   COURT 

with  bull's-eye  windows  looking  north  and  east. 
It  was  furnished,  like  most  German  bedrooms,  to 
serve  also  as  a  sitting-room,  and  contained  a  sofa, 
a  large  centre  table,  and  a  big  escritoire,  besides 
the  necessary  cupboards  and  wardrobes.  It  was 
heated  in  winter  by  one  of  those  tall  chocolate- 
coloured  tiled  stoves  called  Kachel-Ofen  which 
are  so  much  used  in  Germany.  In  cold  weather 
the  Of  en  was  lit  with  wood  at  an  early  hour  of 
the  morning,  and  was  supposed,  after  consuming 
a  few  logs,  to  have  absorbed  enough  heat  for  the 
rest  of  the  day.  Though  offensive  to  a  sense  of 
beauty,  the  Kachel-Ofen  may  generally  be  trusted 
to  keep  the  temperature  warm  at  a  minimum  of 
expenditure  in  fuel. 

"  I  don't  know  why  English  people  always  want 
to  look  at  a  fire,"  said  one  German  lady,  defending 
the  superior  economy  and  effectiveness  of  the 
national  heating  system.  "  It  isn't  the  look  of  a 
fire  that  warms  you.  I  never  felt  the  cold  so 
much  anywhere  as  in  England.  All  that  beautiful 
coal  warming  the  chimney,  while  I  sat  shivering 
two  yards  away  from  it  !  " 

Our  life  at  the  Neues  Palais  is  less  strenuous 
than  at  Homburg.  For  one  thing  the  Ober- 
Gouvernante  is  there,  a  pale,  dark-eyed  German  in 
whose  hands,  although  she  herself  has  no  teaching 
to  do,  lies  the  chief  responsibility  of  the  education 
of  the  Princess.  Then  there  is  the  tutor  who  gives 
all  the  German  lessons.  He  has  not  beenin  Hom- 
burg,  where  there  was  only  room  to  lodge  (pie^tutor. 
£f  Prince  JoachimJ 

The  day  of  the  Princess  begins  with  breakfast 
at  half-past  seven,  excepting  on  Sundays  and  at 


THE   NEW   PALACE  51 

holiday  times,  when  she  takes  it  at  nine  with 
her  parents  and  brother.  Never  was  there  any 
child  who  galloped  through  the  first  meal  of  the 
day  with  such  reckless  rapidity.  In  vain  did  I 
inveigh  against  this  habit  of  bolting  food,  and 
dwell  on  the  horrors,  the  least  of  which  must 
be  an  incurable  red  nose,  which  invariably  lie  in 
wait  for  those  thoughtless  persons  who  ignore 
the  duty  of  mastication ;  in  vain  did  I  quote  Mr. 
Gladstone's  dictum  on  the  subject,  which,  though 
it  amused  and  interested  her,  in  no  way  led  to  her 
betterment. 

"  At  fifty,  nay  at  forty — or  even  sooner,  Prin- 
cess," I  would  say,  "  you  will  be  a  hopeless 
martyr  to  an  outraged  internal  system.  Look 
at  Carlyle,  the  man  who  wrote  about  Frederick 
the  Great.  His  whole  life  was  made  bitter,  the 
happiness  of  his  wife  destroyed,  his  manners  and 
temper  spoiled,  just  because  as  a  little  boy " 

At  this  point  she  usually  flung  down  her  knife 
and  fork  with  a  clatter,  and,  the  last  mouthful 
still  unconsumed,  at  her  accustomed  whirlwind 
pace,  quite  unperturbed  at  what  might  happen 
at  forty,  departed  to  her  mother  the  Empress, 
who  always  liked  to  see  her  daughter  before 
lessons  began. 

At  two  minutes  to  eight  she  returned  breath- 
lessly— she  was  always  breathless  in  those  early 
days — to  the  schoolroom,  a  rather  dull,  stately 
apartment,  with  oil-paintings  of  Prussian  Queens 
and  Electresses  of  Brandenburg  decorating  the 
walls.  In  their  stiff  brocade  dresses  they  gazed 
out  of  their  gold  frames  with  simpering  fixity  at 
the  two  large  blackboards,  the  school-desk,   the 


52     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

lesson-  and  exercise-books  neatly  piled  on  the 
two  plain  deal  tables. 

Her  footman,  an  elderly,  conscientious,  invalu- 
able servant  of  boundless  tact  and  experience,  and 
of  the  greatest  assistance  in  those  difficult  early 
days,  would  give  a  glance  round  to  see  that  every- 
thing was  there — clean  dusters,  chalk,  sponge  and 
water.  The  lady  on  duty— ^myself  or ]  the  Ober- 
Gouvernanie— would  be  installed  with  book  or 
needlework  in  the  least  obtrusive  corner,  trying 
to  look  absolutely  absorbed  in  her  own  thoughts, 
for  the  tutor  naturally  desired  and  had  a  right 
to  demand  deep  concentration  on  the  part  of  his 
pupil  and  the  elimination  of  all  possibilities  of 
distraction.  So  that  when  the  location  of  the 
schoolroom  had  to  be  changed  to  the  other  side 
of  the  Hof,  where  the  carriages  arrived  bringing 
gentlemen  for  audiences  with  the  Emperor, 
studies  were  often  pursued  in  semi- twilight,  the 
blinds  being  kept  permanently  down  to  shut  out 
as  much  as  possible  of  the  sights  and  sounds  of 
the  outside  world.  Sometimes  a  gentle  knock 
came  at  the  door,  which  opened,  revealing  the 
smilingly- apologetic  face  of  the  Empress.  She 
would  slip  in  and  take  the  place  of  the  lady  and 
pursue  her  work,  while  listening  to  the  lesson. 
These  incursions  of  Her  Majesty  were  not  always 
regarded  favourably  by  the  tutor,  who  feared  that 
they  distracted  the  Princess  and  made  her  less 
attentive. 

Some  months  before  she  reached  her  tenth  year 
the  little  Princess  had  a  young  resident  tutor, 
who  was  provided  with  rooms  in  the  Palace  and 
shared   some  of  the  duties  of  Prince  Joachim's 


THE   NEW   PALACE  53 

governor,  accompanying  the  two  children  and  the 
lady  "  on  duty  "  in  their  afternoon  walks.  Prince 
Joachim's  own  tutor,  the  one  who  had  been  in 
Homburg,  was  a  married  Professor  living  in  Berlin, 
a  very  clever  man,  who  afterwards,  on  the  Prince's 
departure  for  Ploen,  became  tutor  to  the  Princess, 
journeying  daily  backwards  and  forwards  to 
Berlin. 

German  educational  methods  are  astonishingly 
thorough,  and  make  serious  demands  upon  a 
growing  child's  brain  and  capacity.  It  is  dim  cult 
to  know  whether  to  condemn  or  admire  them 
most.  They  are  so  thoroughly  efficient — given 
a  child  who  can  stand  the  strain  ;  but  what  of  the 
thousands  who  cannot  ?  I  suppose  every  civilized 
nation,  not  excepting  England,  is  or  has  been 
guilty  in  this  respect ;  and  the  Germany  of  to-day 
is  beginning  to  demand,  in  the  interests  of  the 
health  of  her  future  citizens,  some  relaxation 
of  the  tremendous  claims  made  on  the  growing 
child. 

Education  in  Germany  seems  to  be  strictly 
standardized.  At  a  certain  age  every  child,  be  he 
prince  or  peasant,  will  be  in  a  certain  class,  learning 
certain  subjects  ;  each  year  he  will  move  a  grade 
higher,  or  if  he  does  not,  the  whole  family  will 
feel  that  some  dreadful  irretrievable  disgrace  has 
befallen  it.  The  mother  will  creep  about  the 
house  sighing  and  swallowing  her  tears,  the  father 
will  wear  a  corrugated  brow  and  perceive  looming 
in  the  distance  a  son  who  is  a  zwei-jdhriger,  that 
is,  who  must  give  two  years  instead  of  one  to 
military  service,  since  he  has  not  passed  the  neces- 
sary  examination   which   reduces   the   term    by 


54     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

twelve  months.  This  is  one  of  the  most  terrible 
things  which  can  happen  to  a  German  household. 

Girls,  though  not  coming  quite  under  the  same 
conditions,  have  to  work  just  as  hard  as  boys,  and 
are  quite  as  keen  to  be  "  versetzt" — to  get  their 
remove. 

So  those  first  lessons  of  the  Princess  with  that 
energetic  cheerful  young  tutor  who  had  such  an 
excellent  persistent  method  of  teaching  grammar 
and  arithmetic,  those  studies  abhorrent  to  the 
minds  of  many  children,  were  followed  by  me 
with  the  greatest  interest. 

That  a  child  of  the  age  of  the  Princess  should  be 
expected  to  say  with  scarcely  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion how  much  nineteen  times  eighteen  make,  or 
to  multiply  mentally  342  by  439,  appears  to  the 
unmathematical  mind  almost  unreasonable,  yet 
the  solution  of  these  problems  is  an  everyday  feat 
in  every  German  school.  But  the  answers  did 
not  always  follow  as  quickly  as  the  tutor  desired, 
and  often  the  results  were  wrong,  in  which  case 
one  paralysing  hour  of  arithmetic  was  followed  by 
another.  > 

Sometimes — with  great  diffidence,  for  it  was 
entirely  outside  the  range  of  my  duties — I  would 
suggest  to  the  tutor  that  the  interposition  of  a 
history  or  geography  lesson  might  make  a  salutary 
change  and  enable  the  perplexed  child's  brain  to 
recover  its  tone.  The  tutor  always  listened  very 
politely  to  my  expression  of  opinion,  and,  though 
obviously  disagreeing,  deferred  to  my  desire,  after 
carefully  hinting  to  the  Princess  that  it  was  a  con- 
cession to  feminine  weakness  of  character — 
which  made  her  very  angry  with  me,   and  she 


THE   NEW   PALACE  55 

would  insist  on  having  more  arithmetic  straight 
away. 

To  any  one  who  has  studied  German  grammar, 
especially  those  terrible  prepositions  which  are 
always  lying  in  ambush  to  trip  up  the  unwary,  it 
is  not  necessary  to  dilate  on  its  subtle  sinuosities. 

One  day  at  the  end  of  a  lesson  the  tutor,  glowing 
from  a  vivid  and  rapid  description  and  analysis  of 
some  of  the  more  intricate  German  constructions, 
showing  the  malleability  of  the  language  and  the 
tortuosity  into  which  the  pedantic  mind  of  man, 
for  his  own  base  purposes,  can  twist  it,  turned 
to  me  from  his  pupil's  discontented,  puzzled 
face,  for  corroboration  of  his  own  enthusiastic 
laudation. 

"  Nicht  wahr,  Meess  ?  "  he  said,  as  he  closed  his 
book.  "  Is  not  grammar  one  of  the  most  beautiful, 
most  interesting  studies  to  which  one  can  devote 
one's  mind?  " 

"It  is  the  most  hateful,  unnecessary  thing 
possible,"  I  replied  rather  hastily ;  "we  never 
consciously  use  it  when  we  speak,  we  forget  it  as 
soon  as  we  can.     I  detest  it." 

If  I  had  thrown  one  of  the  Dresden  china  vases 
on  the  mantelpiece  at  his  head  he  could  not  have 
shown  more  surprise.  First,  I  suppose,  at  my 
lax  ideas  of  duty,  for  was  I  not  there  to  uphold 
the  pedagogic  principle  in  season  and  out  of 
season  ?  Secondly  at  my  attack  on  Grammar 
itself — Grammar  !  the  chief  corner-stone  of  the 
temple  of  Academic  Knowledge — which  had  been 
born  of  the  ages,  and  would  persist  long  after  we 
had  perished  from  the  earth. 

All  this  was  plainly  to  be  read  in  the  eye  with 


56     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

which  he  regarded  me.  The  silence  that  ensued 
was  almost  painful,  the  child  too  astonished,  the 
tutor  too  nonplussed  to  speak. 

As  usual,  the  feminine  mind  made  the  quickest 
self-recovery.  The  triumphant  mien,  the  flush  of 
joy,  the  sheer  delight  expressed  in  the  attitude 
of  the  Princess  as  she  rose  up  from  her  chair 
showed  that  she  had  come  to  a  crisis  in  the  history 
of  her  childhood.  She  had  reached  the  point 
where  teachers  cease  to  be  oracles,  where  they 
fall  into  their  right  perspective,  where  differences 
of  opinion  may  be  conceded,  and  where  absolute 
right  and  wrong  begin  to  disappear.  In  her  voice 
was  a  new  tone. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  she  shouted,  with  a  distinct  accent 
of  revolt.  "  There !  You  see,  Herr  Schmidt, 
there  are  other  people  who  can't  bear  grammar. 
Hurrah  !  I've  heard  the  truth  about  grammar 
at  last  !  " 

And  it  being  the  end  of  the  lesson,  the  bell  of 
release  ringing  at  the  moment  a  hearty  peal,  as 
though  in  derision  of  grammar,  she  danced  a  sort 
of  Indian  war-dance  in  exultation  at  its  dis- 
comfiture in  front  of  her  tutor,  took  me  by 
the  hand,  and  dragged  me  away,  leaving  Herr 
Schmidt,  who,  to  do  him  justice,  was  a  man  before 
he  was  a  pedagogue,  convulsed  with  good-natured 
laughter. 

The  Princess  was  not  at  all  a  docile  or  an  in- 
dustrious child  ;  her  work  was  careless,  owing  chiefly 
to  the  usual  breathless  rapidity  with  which  she 
did  everything.  Her  spelling  was  phonetic,  and 
she  was  indignant  at  English  irregularities  in 
this  respect.      Still  she  was  ambitious  and  fond 


a 

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Oh 

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THE   NEW   PALACE  57 

of  approval,  especially  from  her  brother  Prince 
Oscar. 

The  Crown  Prince  and  Prince  Fritz  were,  at  the 
time  of  which  I  write,  in  Bonn  studying  at  the 
University,  Prince  Adalbert  at  Kiel  or  roaming 
about  the  world  on  a  warship,  as  he  had  chosen 
the  navy  for  a  profession  ;  and  the  next  two 
brothers,  Princes  August- Wilhelm  and  Oscar, 
together  in  Ploen,  where  they  lived  in  a  pleasant 
country  house  with  their  governor  and  various 
teachers,  and  enjoyed  the  companionship  of  the 
young  cadets  of  the  aristocratic  school — the  Eton 
of  Germany — which  is  close  at  hand. 

Morning  lessons  end  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  then 
there  is  a  short  walk  until  it  is  time  to  dress  for 
the  one-o'clock  Friihstiicks-tafel,  which  is  usually 
eaten  in  the  company  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
and  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  suite. 

We  dine  in  the  Apollo  Saal,  a  wonderful  room 
decorated  with  painted  panels  which  rouse  the 
indignation  of  the  Ober-Gouvernante,  who  objects 
to  the  scanty  draperies  and  fleshiness  of  the 
simpering  nymphs  and  Cupids  who  eternally 
disport  themselves  among  the  never-fading  gar- 
lands of  flowers  of  the  Rococo  Period.  She  cannot 
reconcile  them  with  the  otherwise  estimable  tastes 
and  qualities  of  Frederick  the  Great,  nor  realize 
that  great  minds  are  composed  of  a  variety  of 
opposing  ingredients,  and  that  even  famous  states- 
men and  warriors  must  occasionally  relax  the 
sternness  of  their  mental  outlook. 

The  menu  or  Speise-Karte  of  the  royal  table  is 
invariably  written  in  German,  not  French ;  and 
occasionally   English   dishes   appear   on   it,    their 


58     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

names  slightly  disguised — as  for  example  "  Apple- 
pei  "  or  "  Brot-pudding." 

Conversation  at  the  Fruhstiicks-tafel  or  luncheon, 
which  is  really  the  principal  meal  of  the  day  in 
Germany,  to  which  business  men  in  Berlin  usually 
devote  a  couple  of  hours,  is  always  very  animated 
and  amusing  when  the  Emperor  is  present,  as  he 
is  a  noted  raconteur  and  possesses  a  highly-de- 
veloped sense  of  humour,  which  helps  to  mitigate 
the  boredom  of  the  ceremonies  which  dog  his 
footsteps.  One  day  he  related  with  the  greatest 
gusto  how,  on  returning  from  a  walk  alone  with 
the  Empress,  he  was  refused  admission  through  one 
of  the  gates  by  the  sentry  stationed  there — who 
must  have  been  a  very  unobservant  person,  or 
brought  up  in  a  remote  portion  of  the  Empire 
where  picture-postcards  do  not  penetrate.  The 
soldier  was  very  apologetic,  but  firm,  and  addressed 
the  Emperor  as  "  Herr  Lieutenant,"  finally  re- 
lenting when  told  that  the  "  Herr  Lieutenant  " 
wished  to  visit  Herr  von  Scholl,  a  Fliigel-adjutant 
(aide-de-camp  or  equerry)  who  lived  in  the  Palace. 

German  is  the  language  usually  spoken  at  the 
Royal  table,  except  when  English-speaking  visitors 
are  present  :  but  few  of  the  officers  or  adjutants 
have  a  very  extensive  knowledge  of  any  language 
but  their  own.  The  Boer  War  had  at  this  time 
only  just  come  to  an  end,  and  there  was  a  good 
deal  of  anti-English  feeling  exhibited  everywhere, 
especially  in  the  newspapers ;  but  at  the  Court 
itself,  although  the  criticism  of  our  military 
methods  does  not  take,  as  may  be  expected,  a 
very  laudatory  tone,  there  is  a  frank  recognition 
of  the  difficulties  of  the  situation  and  a  genuine 


THE   NEW   PALACE  59 

deprecation  of  the  spiteful  venom  of  the  news- 
paper articles,  which  accuse  English  officers 
and  soldiers  of  every  form  of  ignoble  conduct 
that  it  is  possible  for  the  journalistic  mind  to 
imagine. 

Soon  after  the  Germans  had  a  native  war  of 
their  own  on  their  hands  against  the  tribe  of  the 
Hereros  in  South-West  Africa ;  and  if  they  were 
spared  the  succession  of  disasters  suffered  by  the 
English,  they  added  nothing  to  their  own  military 
glory,  and  learned  a  great  deal  of  the  difficulties 
of  skirmishing  in  an  uninhabited  country  where 
none  of  the  rules  of  war  in  which  they  have  been 
trained  seem  to  apply.  Their  war  lasted  for 
four  years,  and  long  before  it  was  finished  the 
last  lingering  newspaper  scandal  against  English 
soldiers  died  away. 

In  one  disastrous  slaughter  of  a  German  detach- 
ment ambushed  by  natives,  the  only  son  of  the 
captain  of  the  Emperor's  little  river-steamer 
perished.  The  poor  old  grief-stricken  father  for 
a  long  time  refused  to  believe  the  news.  "  My 
son  was  a  doctor,"  he  would  ssiy  obstinately; 
"  he  was  not  a  soldier.  How  can  he  be  killed  ? 
Doctors  are  not  in  the  fighting-line.  Their  place 
is  in  the  rear  of  the  troops." 

Often  young  officers  in  khaki  who  have  volun- 
teered for  service  in  Sud-W est-A/rika  are  invited 
to  luncheon  before  their  departure  for  the  seat  of 
war.  They  are  strong,  handsome,  cheery  young 
men,  full  of  courage  and  enthusiasm ;  and  the 
Princess  sighs  and  wishes  that  she  too  could  go 
to  the  war  and  fight,  which  aspirations  Prince 
Joachim  crushes  in  the  heavy  masculine  manner. 


60     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

After  Friihstuck  is  finished,  and  we  are  able  at 
last  to  escape  from  the  long,  tedious  waiting  that 
follows,  the  children  go  out  together.  Some- 
times the  Princess  drives  those  wonderful  Turkish 
ponies,  which  make  quite  a  sensation  in  the  quiet 
old  Potsdam  streets  whenever  they  appear  ;  while 
Prince  Joachim  has  a  dog-cart  of  his  own  drawn 
by  a  wise  old  cob  called  "  Freier,"  who  continually 
gets  the  reins  under  his  tail  but  stops  immediately 
till  disentangled.  Twice  a  week  the  Princess  rides 
on  horseback,  and  after  a  preliminary  trial  with 
the  Sattel-Meister  I  am  pronounced  competent  to 
accompany  her.  She  is  delighted  to  have  my 
society,  for  hitherto  she  has  had  no  companion  in 
her  rides. 

Close  to  the  Neues  Palais  is  the  lovely  Wild- 
park,  a  beautiful  forest,  traversed  by  sandy  paths, 
under  great  avenues  of  spreading  beech  ;  and  here, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Sattel-Meister,  accom- 
panied by  a  couple  of  small  grooms,  we  indulge 
in  many  exhilarating  gallops.  The  Princess  soon 
develops  into  a  practised  and  fearless  horse- 
woman, with  an  excellent  seat  in  the  saddle  and  a 
light  hand.  Before  long  she  is  learning  to  jump 
logs  and  hedges,  to  the  mingled  horror  and  admira- 
tion of  Her  Majesty  and  the  Court.  Our  gallops 
become  lang-gestreckt.  We  ride  a  good  long  way 
in  a  very  short  time.  The  Sattel-Meister,  who  is 
a  severe  but  judicious  teacher,  smiles  amiably 
and  proudly  at  us  both  as  we  pull  up  our  sweating 
horses  at  the  lodge  gates  of  the  Wlldpark  prepara- 
tory to  the  sober  walk  home. 

Presently   we   are   promoted   to   rides   on    the 
Bornstedter  Feld,  the  big  cavalry  exercise  ground 


THE   NEW   PALACE  61 

about  half  a  mile  away,  a  sandy  plain  where  we 
can  let  out  our  horses  and  settle  down  for  a  long, 
swinging  gallop.  Nothing  makes  the  Princess 
so  happy,  so  good-tempered,  as  these  rides.  They 
are  just  the  outlets  she  needs  for  some  of  her 
exuberant  vitality.  She  returns  from  them  glow- 
ing with  satisfaction,  and  is  invariably  unhappy 
and  irritable  if  by  any  chance  they  are  stopped. 

There  comes  a  red-letter  day  when  she  is  allowed 
to  ride  at  half-past  seven  to  the  Bornstedter 
Feld  to  see  the  Emperor  review  a  detachment 
of  artillery  bound  for  the  Herero  War.  The 
Princess  cannot  sleep  for  joy  the  night  before. 
She  is  almost  overcome  with  the  mingled  fear  and 
delight  of  riding  "  with  Papa."  She  sends  to  my 
room  early  next  morning  in  case  I  should  over- 
sleep myself,  and  is  ready  long  before  the  ap- 
pointed time  in  her  little  blue  riding-habit  and 
straw  hat.  Down  below  in  the  Sand-hof  the 
horses  are  waiting  for  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
and  the  large  suite  which  invariably  accompanies 
them  when  they  ride.  Our  own  steeds  are  in  a 
little  group  apart  in  a  corner.  There  has  been  a 
sprinkle  of  rain,  but  the  sun  is  now  shining.  We 
drink  a  cup  of  tea  and  nibble  at  a  roll,  but  are  too 
excited  to  eat  much.  It  is  a  dubious,  an  appre- 
hensive joy  to  ride  with  "  Papa."  We  are  fearful 
of  not  acquitting  ourselves  with  distinction.  Sup- 
posing our  horses  do  anything  unexpected,  any- 
thing wrong  ? 

We  go  down  to  the  Sand-Hof  and  mount,  and 
ride  slowly  up  and  down  waiting.  The  lady  in 
attendance  on  the  Empress  is  already  there,  and 
a  good  many  adjutants,  naval  and  military,  in  full- 


62     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

dress  uniform.  They  all  come  up  and  make  polite 
observations  to  the  Princess — nattering,  com- 
plimentary remarks  such  as  elderly  gentlemen  are 
in  the  habit  of  making  to  little  girls.  There  is  a 
great  clattering  of  swords  on  the  nagged  terrace, 
and  presently  out  comes  the  Emperor  in  his  gay 
Hussar  uniform.  He  bows  and  mounts,  and  those 
on  horseback  have  to  bring  their  horses  to  the 
"  front "  as  he  passes.  The  Empress  comes  from 
another  door,  is  quickly  in  the  saddle,  and  she  and 
the  Princess  join  the  Emperor  and  ride  through 
the  big  gates  on  to  the  Mopke  in  line  together. 
The  guard  stands  stiffly  with  presented  arms  as 
the  cavalcade  passes  over  the  wide  drive  into  the 
beautiful  avenue  of  trees  under  which  we  pass. 
The  attendant  ladies  and  gentlemen  have  formed 
up  into  two  rows  behind  Their  Majesties,  while  a 
group  of  grooms  and  minor  officials  ride  in  the 
rear.  It  is  a  pretty  sight,  with  the  sunlight 
sending  shafts  of  gold  from  the  accoutrements,  and 
lighting  up  the  gay  uniforms  and  trappings  of  the 
horses. 

As  we  pass  our  schoolroom  window  I  perceive 
the  Ober-Gouvemante  standing  there,  and  it  sud- 
denly strikes  me — I  had  quite  forgotten  for  the 
time — that  we  are  due  to  begin  lessons  at  eight 
o'clock  and  it  is  now  a  quarter  to.  Appalling 
thought !  Well,  we  shall  obviously  not  be  there. 
I  dismiss  any  misgivings  as  I  realize  the  rapture 
expressed  in  the  Princess's  back ;  and  when  for  an 
instant  we  have  a  chance  of  speech  together,  I 
carefully  refrain  from  mentioning  the  tutor  and 
the  vacant  schoolroom. 

The  line  of  waiting  guns  on  the  artillery  field 


THE   NEW   PALACE  63 

drawn  by  funny  little  rough  Siberian  ponies,  who 
look  very  strong  and  unkempt  and  are  driven  by 
men  in  khaki,  strike  the  Princess  as  something  very 
unusual.  From  babyhood  she  has  been  familiar 
with  troops  on  parade  in  their  gayest,  most  ex- 
pensive, least  practical  uniforms,  or  with  troops  at 
manoeuvres  on  the  march,  dusty  and  sunburned 
and  travel-stained ;  but  never  before  has  she  seen 
men  stripped  of  the  superfluities  of  the  barrack- 
room,  prepared  simply  for  the  grim  realities  of 
war  in  a  far-away  country.  All  the  beautiful 
reds  and  blues  left  at  home,  the  shining  guns 
painted  khaki-colour,  the  men  in  loose  almost 
ill-fitting  garments  sitting  on  these  queer  little 
horses.  It  is  very  unfamiliar — almost  unnatural. 
The  fine  young  commanding  officer  makes  his 
report  to  the  Emperor.  The  horses  have  only 
been  a  fortnight  under  training,  but  already  acquit 
themselves  well  and  trot  and  gallop  past  in  an 
exemplary  manner  at  the  word  of  command.  The 
little  ceremony  is  soon  over,  the  small  group  cheer 
their  Majesties  heartily,  and  as  the  Emperor 
departs  he  calls  out  "  Adieu,  Kameraden,"  and  as 
with  one  voice  they  answer  "Adieu,  Majestdt." 
We  leave  them  standing  on  the  sky-line,  brave, 
plucky  youths  burning  with  zeal  and  patriotism, 
they  fade  into  the  blue  background  ;  and  while  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  prolong  their  ride  a  little 
farther  the  Princess  and  I  trot  the  nearest  way 
home  to  those  deserted  lessons. 

The  gardens  of  the  Neues  Palais  are  separated 
only  by  a  slender  railing  from  those  of  the  small 
Palace  of  Sans  Souci,  notable  as  the  residence  of 
Frederick    the    Great.     On    the    hill    behind    the 


64     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Palace,  almost  overshadowing  it,  stands  the 
famous  windmill,  the  centre  of  certain  legendary 
and  probably  apocryphal  tales.  The  Palace  of 
Sans  Souci  and  its  beautiful  grounds — called  the 
Neuer  Garten — remain  always  open  to  the  public, 
and  on  Sundays  they  are  crowded  with  tourists 
and  visitors  from  the  surrounding  neighbourhood. 
It  is  the  day  when  the  big  fountains  play, 
one  of  them  decorated  with  flowers,  seen  dimly 
through  the  falling  water ;  the  day  when  their 
Majesties  are  sure  to  drive  or  walk  through  the 
gardens  to  the  Garrison  Church,  which  they  usually 
attend  in  Potsdam,  where  Frederick  the  Great  lies 
buried.  Still  more  it  is  the  day  when  with 
good  luck  the  Princess  may  be  seen  driving  with 
her  Turkish  ponies.  For  it  must  be  realized  that 
Germany — not  possessing  an  early  closing  day  or  a 
Saturday  half-holiday — spends  its  Sunday  after- 
noons for  all  its  Protestantism,  in  the  pure  pursuit 
of  pleasure.  Extra  trains,  extra  steamboats, 
extra  trams  are  run,  the  open-air  restaurants  do 
a  roaring  trade,  every  public  garden,  every  road 
is  overrun  with  perspiring  families,  and  with 
soldiers  walking  out  with  stodgy-looking  maid- 
servants in  tartan  blouses  and  tight  green  cotton 
gloves. 

On  Sunday  the  Princess  and  Prince  Joachim 
entertain  their  small  friends  to  tea  and  supper. 
First  of  all  they  take  them  for  a  drive  some- 
where in  the  neighbourhood,  to  the  huge  delight 
of  the  tourists,  who  shriek  and  cheer  and  wave 
pocket-handkerchiefs  and  rush  apoplectically, 
with  the  greatest  risk  to  their  health,  from 
remote  corners  of  the  Neuer  Garten,   scudding, 


THE   NEW   PALACE  65 

these  fat  fathers  and  mothers,  in  their  hot  Sunday 
clothes  along  the  sandy  walks,  yelling  breath- 
lessly to  each  other  "  Die  Prinzessin  !  Die  kleine 
Prinzessin.  Ach !  wie  niedlich  !"  They  are 
enraptured  with  the  lovely  ponies  and  the  blue- 
lined  victoria  and  the  little  fair-haired  Princess, 
who  usually  has  two  friends  stuffed  tightly  in 
beside  her,  while  a  carriage  follows  with  some  more, 
and  Prince  Joachim  has  his  cartload  of  boys. 

It  was  remarkable  that,  however  much  we 
attempted  to  let  the  boys  play  by  themselves  and 
keep  the  girls  to  purely  feminine  amusements,  it 
invariably  ended  in  the  amalgamation  of  the  two 
parties;  that  the  running  and  jumping,  the  gym- 
nastics over  the  parallel  bars,  the  games  of  hide- 
and-seek  were  always  keener  and  swifter  when  the 
Princess  was  taking  part.  There  were  few  boys 
who  could  beat  her  at  that  age  in  running  or 
jumping,  and  when  the  Prince's  Governor  jeered 
at  a  boy  for  behaving  like  a  Mddchen,  it  was 
easy  to  retort  that  one  Mddchen  could  out- jump 
and  out-run  all  his  boys,  and  that  he  had  better 
speak  more  respectfully  in  future  of  the  sex. 


CHAPTER1  IV 

DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER 

SHORTLY  after  our  return  to  the  Neues 
Palais  a  small  niece  of  the  Empress,  the 
child  of  her  sister  the  Duchess  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg,  came  to  spend  a 
week  or  two  with  her  cousin.  Her  visit  marked 
the  last  expiring  effort  of  the  Princess  to  take  an 
interest  in  her  dolls,  of  which  she  possessed  many 
very  beautiful  specimens. 

But  though  she  was  an  amused  spectator  of 
the  unflinching  realism  with  which  Princess  May 
— an  inventive  child  whose  doll-children  suffered 
many  and  varied  experiences — shaped  the  frag- 
ments of  her  dream  of  human  life,  the  stormy 
cross-channel  journeys,  the  illnesses  and  cheerful 
funerals  of  her  large  family,  it  was  plain  to  see 
that  she  was  not  in  any  sense  a  real  partaker  in 
the  small  comedies  and  dramas. 

Live  animals  had  always  from  babyhood  been 
her  great  passion.  On  dogs  and  horses  she 
lavished  all  the  superfluous  affection  of  her  heart. 
Dolls  had  never  been  to  her  more  than  a  trans.tory 
amusement,  thrust  on  her  by  other  people  rather 
than  chosen  by  herself.  She  was  exceedingly 
hurt  at  receiving  one  the  following  Christmas, 
sent  by  an  affectionate  but  injudicious  aunt.     It 

66 


DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER    67 

nerved  her  to  make  a  clean  sweep  of  the  whole 
lot,  and  they  were  divided  among  various  children's 
hospitals.  The  Empress  sighed  over  this  further 
emancipation  of  her  small  daughter,  but  saw  its 
inevitability. 

About  this  time  the  Emperor,  who  was  staying 
a  few  days  at  Cadinen,  his  country  house  in  East 
Prussia,  where  he  carries  out  farming  operations 
on  a  large  scale,  sent  the  Princess  a  present  after 
her  own  heart — a  tiny  dimpled  pigling  of  tender 
years.  From  my  bedroom  window  I  suddenly 
caught  sight  of  this  infant  swine  as,  looking  newly 
scrubbed  and  washed,  with  a  bit  of  blue  ribbon 
tied  round  the  tender  curve  of  his  tail,  he  sprinted 
across  the  Hof  pursued  by  several  footmen  and 
the  two  Princesses,  who  had  decreed  that  exercise 
must  be  necessary  for  him  after  his  cramping 
railway  journey  in  a  tiny  crate.  Viewing  his 
innocent  infantine  chubbiness  as  he  darted  between 
the  legs  of  the  pursuing  lackeys,  even  the  sentries 
on  duty  were  forced  to  relax  their  military  stern- 
ness and  smile  at  his  baby  antics  as  he  rushed 
about,  evading  capture  for  a  time. 

The  Princess  was  charmed  with  "  Papa's 
Scherkel,"  and  rather  annoyed  at  not  being  allowed 
to  have  him  in  her  own  rooms;  but  he  was  com- 
fortably installed  in  the  stable  at  Lindstedt,  a  villa 
belonging  to  the  Emperor  standing  close  to  the  gate 
of  the  Neues  Palais,  where,  being  a  pig  of  placid 
disposition,  he  put  on  flesh  at  a  rapid  rate,  quickly 
losing  the  innocent  gaiety  of  his  early  days,  and 
developed  weight  and  fatness  day  by  day,  so  that 
towards  Christmas  the  usual  tragic  fate  of  pigs 
befell  him.     His  mistress  suffered  no  sentimental 


68     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

regrets  with  regard  to  his  death,  eating  without 
a  qualm  the  savoury  sausages  he  provided  and 
retaining  a  grateful  memory  of  the  nice  sum  he 
brought  her — for  naturally,  although  she  never 
paid  for  his  keep,  she  demanded  and  received  the 
sum  for  which  the  butcher  purchased  his  remains. 
"  I  wish  Papa  would  give  me  another  pig,"  she 
has  been  heard  to  sigh  when  money  was  scarce. 
"  He  was  so  useful." 

But  no  other  pig  arrived.  He  remained  the 
first  and  last  of  his  tribe. 

The  Duchess  of  Albany  and  her  daughter 
Princess  Alice  (now  Princess  Alexander  of  Teck) 
were  for  a  short  time  living  in  Potsdam,  while  the 
young  Duke  of  Coburg,  the  son  of  the  Duchess, 
was  undergoing  his  year  of  military  training.  He 
afterwards  went  as  a  student  to  Bonn  at  the  same 
time  as  the  Crown  Prince  and  Prince  Fritz — and 
eventually  married  the  eldest  sister  of  little 
Princess  May  of  Glucksburg,  while  her  second 
sister,  Princess  Alexandra,  married  her  cousin 
Prince  August  Wilhelm,  the  fourth  son  of  the 
Emperor. 

Princess  Alice  of  Albany  and  her  mother  were 
great  favourites  at  the  Neues  Palais,  and  frequently 
visited  the  Empress.  One  day  they  were  invited 
to  meet  her  at  the  Marmor  Palais,  the  palace 
formerly  occupied  by  Their  Majesties  when  they 
were  first  married,  before  their  accession  to  the 
throne.  It  had  remained  empty  since  that  time, 
though  now  occupied  when  they  are  in  Potsdam 
by  the  Crown  Prince  and  Princess  and  their  family 
of  little  boys. 

Beautifully  situated  about  two  miles  away  from 


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DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER     69 

the  Neues  Palais,   on  the  border  of  a  lake  (the 
Heiligen-See),  it  was  there  that  the  Empress  passed 
the  happiest  years  of  her  married  life,  and  that  most 
of  her  children  were  born.     She  always  revisited 
it  with  much  pleasure  mingled  with  many  regrets. 
A  large  party  of  children  had  been  invited,  as 
it  was  the  Princess's  birthday ;  and  after  playing 
madly  about  in  the  garden,  they  all  had  tea  in  the 
big  marble  dining-room  which  overlooked  the  lake, 
where  swans  were  sailing  majestically  up  and  down 
the  clear  blue  water.     After  tea  .Princess  Alice 
invented  a  delightful  new  game  for  the  children. 
The  idea  was  to  put  on  the  enormous  felt  slippers 
provided  for  the  boots  of  the  tourists  who  come 
to  inspect  the  palace,  so  that  they  may  not  scratch 
the  beautifully  polished  inlaid  parquet  floors ;  and 
when  everybody  had  stuck  their  feet  into  these 
enormous  over-shoes,  they  began  skating  madly 
after  each  other,  headed  by  Princess  Alice,  i  ushing 
round  and  round  the  various  salons  which  opened 
out  of  each  other,  so  that  they  could  keep  up  the 
race  without  interruption.     The  sight  of  so  many 
rather  small  people  with  such  disproportionately 
large  feet  tearing   after  each  other   at  breakneck 
speed  was  irresistibly  comic,  and  the  Empress  and 
the  Duchess  were   convulsed  with  laughter.     It 
was  rather  a  violent  game  for  a  warm  September 
day,   but  when  they  grew  tired  of  it  they  still 
played,  with  the  greatest  energy,  musical  chairs, 
post,  and  blind  man's  buff,  the  sun  pouring  gaily 
in  at  the  windows  all  the  time. 
«   A  month  or  so  after  this  party  took  place,  about 
the  middle  of  November,   the  weather  suddenly 
changed.     It   began  to  freeze  hard,    and  for  six 


70     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S  COURT 

weeks  there  was  ice  everywhere,  and  everybody 
was  able  to  indulge  in  skating. 

When  the  lessons  were  over  we  used  to  jump 
into  a  carriage  with  our  skates  and  were  driven 
to  Charlotten-Hof,  a  small  palace  in  the  park  of 
Sans  Souci,  where  was  a  large  sheet  of  water 
now  converted  into  the  most  beautiful  black  ice. 
Nobody  was  particularly  expert  on  skates,  but  all 
were  keen  to  learn ;  and  the  Princess  and  Prince 
Joachim,  after  a  great  many  tumbles,  managed  to 
get  along  at  a  good  pace,  though  their  style  was 
hardly  of  the  best.  The  weather  kept  beautifully 
clear,  with  very  little  snow,  and  there  were  some 
very  merry  skating  parties,  including  the  late 
Sir  Robert  Collins,  gentleman-in-waiting  to  the 
Duchess  of  Albany,  a  very  graceful  expert  per- 
former on  the  ice,  and  Lady  Collins,  who,  like  the 
rest  of  us,did  not  skate  very  well,  but  persever- 
ingly  kept  on  trying.  The  Governor  of"  the  Prince 
made  many  attempts  to  learn,  but  never  got  much 
farther  than  an  ungainly  shuffle,  for  which  he 
always  apologized,  saying  that  at  any  rate  it  kept 
him  from  freezing. 

Sometimes  the  Crown  Prince  would  bring  a  few 
of  his  friends  to  play  hockey,  but  as  no  one  knew 
much  about  rules  it  was  rather  a  wild  and  danger- 
ous game. 

The  most  uncomfortable  moments  spent  on  the 
slippery  surface,  however,  were  those  when  the 
Emperor,in  his  warm  grey  cavalry  cloak,  surrounded 
by  a  party  of  adjutants  and  officers,  was  seen  wend- 
ing his  way  in  our  direction.  Inexpert  performers 
realized  the  extreme  risk  of  trying  to  bow  to 
Majesty   on   skates,    and   invariably   fled   to   the 


DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER     71 

shelter   of   a   small   island   covered   with   bushes 
which  was  in  one  corner  of  the  lake. 

Misfortunes  in  the  way  of  tumbles  caused  an 
unholy  joy  in  the  Emperor's  heart.  It  pleased 
him  to  see  people  lose  their  dignity ;  and  on  one 
occasion,  when  Princess  Alice  and  I,  skating  with 
great  dash  and  confidence  hand-in-hand,  came 
after  a  convulsive  flounder  to  a  sudden  fall,  the 
Imperial  laughter  floated  most  whole-heartedly 
and  derisively  over  our  prostrate  bodies. 

Ladders  and  ropes  were  always  laid  ready  on 
the  bank  in  case  of  accident ;  and  one  afternoon 
when  Prince  Oscar  was  with  us — having  come  over 
from  Ploen  for  a  few  days — he  and  the  Princess 
decided  to  practise  a  little  life-saving.  I  on  my 
skates  represented  to  the  best  of  my  ability  the 
victim  of  an  ice  catastrophe,  lying  down  and 
clutching  at  the  rope,  which  after  many  mis- 
directed efforts  they  managed  to  throw  in  my 
direction ;  but  when  it  came  to  pulling  me  out, 
although  I  was  not  in,  but  already  on  the  surface 
of  the  ice,  their  well-meant  endeavours  only  re- 
sulted in  themselves  being  dragged  backwards 
accompanied  by  shrieks  of  laughter,  while  I  re- 
mained exactly  where  I  had  been  before.  Some- 
body must  have  mentioned  this  attempt  to  the 
Emperor,  for  the  next  day  when  he  came  to  the  ice 
he  wanted  to  know  how  I  liked  being  "  rescued." 

"  They  didn't  rescue  me  one  inch,  Your  Majesty,' ' 
I  was  obliged  to  reply ;  "I  should  have  been 
drowned  ten  times  over." 

He  chuckled  very  much  over  this  failure  to  pull 
me  along,  and  would,  I  am  sure,  have  liked  to  see 
the  experiment  repeated  in  his  presence. 


72     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

"  And  you  so  thin  and  light ! "  he  laughed  as 
he  departed. 

Another  game  of  hockey  was  played  one  after- 
noon, but  not  this  time  on  the  ice.  Five  of  the 
princes  took  part  in  it — the  Crown  Prince  and 
Prince  Fritz  captaining  their  respective  sides.  It 
was  a  wild,  weird  game.  The  Princess  after 
many  entreaties  had  been  allowed  to  play  "  for 
a  short  time"  on  Prince  Fritz's  side,  together 
with  a  few  young  officers,  the  French  teacher  of 
Prince  Joachim,  and  a  Kammer-Herr  of  Her 
Majesty,  who  thought  he  would  like  to  take  part 
in  the  game.  He  said  later  that  it  was  the  first  and 
last  time  he  ever  played  or  desired  to  play  hockey. 

The  game  took  place  on  the  broad  drive  in  front 
of  the  Palace,  and  the  only  rule  which  guided  it 
was  a  feverish  desire  on  everybody's  part  to  send 
the  ball  into  the  opposite  goal.  There  was  no 
referee,  no  off-side,  nobody  was  more  of  a  "  for- 
ward" than  a  "back,"  and  anybody  kept  goal 
who  happened  to  be  near  enough  to  it ;  but  the 
play  was  permeated  by  a  fine  and  splendid  enthu- 
siasm which  atoned  for  many  shortcomings.  The 
German  sporting  instinct  was  there  sure  enough, 
undeveloped  and  somewhat  dormant  it  may  be, 
but  none  the  less  ready  to  germinate  under  favour- 
able conditions.  Some  players  emerged  rather 
battered  from  the  fray.  The  French  tutor  had 
fallen  and  scraped  his  chin  on  the  gravel,  the 
Kammer-Herr  had,  as  the  result  of  a  blow,  a 
swollen  knuckle  which  kept  him  company  some 
weeks,  while  Prince  Oscar  limped  slightly  for  the 
rest  of  the  day. 

One  of  the  tiresome  ceremonies  incident  to  royal 


DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER    73 

existence  is  the  incessant  turning  out  of  the  guard 
whenever  any  one  of  royal  or  princely  blood 
emerges  into  view  of  the  sentry.  This  became 
especially  worrying  when  the  children  happened 
to  wander  about  backwards  and  forwards  between 
the  two  "  Hofs."  One  heard  a  clatter  of  boot- 
soles  as  the  soldiers,  perhaps  in  the  middle  of 
eating  their  soup,  rushed  out,  seized  their  weapons 
from  the  rack  where  they  stood,  and  formed  up 
in  line  in  stiff  military  attitudes  presenting  arms 
at  the  word  of  command.  It  was  usual  for  the 
Governor  of  Prince  Joachim,  who  was  himself  a 
Captain  in  the  army,  to  give  a  signal  to  the  guard 
that  these  honours  were  for  the  nonce  in  abeyance, 
or  the  Princess  or  Prince — if  they  remembered — 
might  do  the  same. 

In  the  first  week  of  her  visit,  Princess  May  of 
Glucksburg,  who  was  running  about  between  the 
Mopke  and  the  Kleiner  Hof,  noticed  the  unusual 
restlessness  of  the  guard,  who  were  in  and  out  of 
the  guard-house  every  five  minutes  or  less  ;  but 
it  was  some  time  before  she  connected  their 
movements  with  herself,  being  absorbed  in  giving 
"Jacky,"  the  Princess's  dog,  a  ride  in  a  small 
hand-cart.  She  had  hitherto  led  a  quiet  life  in 
the  ancestral  Schloss  away  in  the  country,  un- 
trammelled by  guards  or  sentries  of  any  kind. 

When  she  realized  that  these  honours  were  being 
lavished  on  her  own  small  person,  and  that  she 
ought  to  have  waved  her  finger  backwards  and 
forwards  at  the  soldiers  in  sign  of  dismissal,  she 
was  much  abashed,  and  as  she  was  far  too  shy 
to  shake  her  finger  at  any  one,  preferred  to  choose 
a  more  retired  spot  in  which  to  play. 


74     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Besides  the  Turkish  ponies  before  mentioned, 
the  Prince  and  Princess  possessed  two  very  small 
mouse-coloured  Sicilian  donkeys  given  to  them 
by  the  King  of  Italy,  each  of  which  drew  a  small 
Sicilian  cart,  painted  in  gay  colours  with  scenes 
from  the  lives  of  the  saints.  These  animals  wore 
red  brass-studded  harness,  and  nodding  plumes 
made  of  cock-feathers  dyed  crimson  waved  from 
their  heads.  They  made  a  very  pretty  picture  as 
they  ambled  one  behind  the  other  over  the  wide 
Mopke,  and  often  when  children  were  invited  to 
spend  the  afternoon  the  donkey-carts  were  requi- 
sitioned. They  were  a  continual  source  of  joy 
to  small  visitors  and  of  acute  anxiety  to  those 
in  charge ;  for  in  spite  of  their  innocent  looks  and 
their  small  size,  the  donkeys  were  the  least  docile 
animals  that  could  be  imagined,  and  as  the  carts 
were  rather  small  and  top-heavy,  there  was  con- 
stant danger  of  an  upset.  Sometimes  the  donkeys, 
after  a  spell  of  good  behaviour,  would  start  running 
away,  or  suddenly  make  preparations  to  lie  down, 
the  children  falling  out  of  the  cart  like  a  small 
avalanche.  After  the  animals  had  taken  a  short 
rest — for  nothing  would  make  them  get  up  before 
they  felt  inclined — they  would  start  merrily  off 
again,  and  the  Governor  and  I,  who  were  too  heavy 
for  the  carts,  had  to  keep  on  running  after  them, 
"  faint  yet  pursuing,"  be  the  weather  as  hot  as 
it  might. 

The  way  those  beasts  whizzed  the  carts  round 
corners  on  only  one  wheel  was  nothing  short  of  phe- 
nomenal, and  they  possessed  a  diabolical  strength 
which  set  at  naught  any  efforts  of  the  groom  who 
was  supposed  to  control  them  in  case  of  need. 


DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER    75 

One  day  the  little  terrier  "  Jacky  "  took  it  into 
his  head  to  bite  one  of  the  donkeys,  who  imme- 
diately went  helter-skelter  over  the  flower-beds, 
dragging  the  empty  cart  behind  him  as  well  as  the 
unlucky  stable-man  who  happened  to  be  holding 
the  reins  and  fell  down  at  an  early  stage  of  the 
proceedings.  Fortunately  it  happened  in  a  small 
enclosed  garden  surrounded  by  high  hedges,  but 
it  might  have  been  a  serious  business  if  one  or 
two  soldiers  had  not  happened  to  be  passing  and 
helped  us  to  restrain  the  donkey,  who  kicked  and 
capered  and  waltzed  over  the  rose-bushes,  jerking 
the  man  after  him,  his  face  cut,  his  clothes  torn, 
while  the  iniquitous  "  Jacky,"  delighted  at  the 
performance,  raged  round  in  a  frenzy  of  barking, 
doing  all  he  could  to  urge  the  poor  terrified 
donkey  to  fresh  efforts. 

Happily,  when  the  long-expected  accident 
arrived,  it  happened  under  Her  Majesty's  immedi- 
ate notice,  so  that  she  was  at  once  convinced  of 
the  danger  to  the  children  of  these  ill-trained 
little  creatures,  and  ordered  that  they  should  never 
appear  again.  They  were  sent  to  the  country  and 
employed  on  the  land  in  regular  work,  which  was 
what  they  needed.  The  Princess  was  the  one  who 
suffered,  being  tipped  out  of  the  cart  and  sus- 
taining a  rather  severe  cut  on  her  knee,  involving 
a  three  days'  suspension  of  lessons  and  complete 
repose  of  the  injured  limb — rather  a  severe  trial 
for  such  an  active  child. 

In  wet  or  frosty  weather,  the  rides  in  the 
forest  had  to  be  given  up,  and  we  were  forced 
to  take  horse-exercise  in  the  Reit-Bahn  or  big 
covered  riding-school  attached  to  the  Royal  Mews 


76     MEMORIES   OF  THE  KAISER'S  COURT 

or  Mar  stall.  A  layer  of  sawdust  covered  the  floor 
of  the  Bahn,  and  our  Sattel-Meister,  Herr  Casper, 
professed  himself  delighted  to  have  the  oppor- 
tunity of  furthering  our  equestrian  education. 
We  took  lessons  in  making  "  voltes  "  and  circles 
at  the  word  of  command,  in  "  passaging  "  ;  we 
galloped  and  trotted  and  enjoyed  ourselves  im- 
mensely, while  the  rain  beat  outside  or  the  snow 
fell  in  thick  flurries.  The  Bahn  was  furnished 
with  mirrors  in  which  we  could  get  glimpses  of 
ourselves  as  we  cantered  past.  Sometimes  the 
Empress  and  one  of  her  ladies  also  rode  with  us. 
Her  Majesty  is  very  fond  of  horse  exercise,  and 
though  not  enamoured  of  cross-country  riding, 
still  enjoys  a  good  stretching  canter. 

Nowhere  are  there  better  opportunities  for  this 
than  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Potsdam.  Every  road, 
with  its  beautiful  row  of  trees  on  either  hand,  pos- 
sesses a  carefully  kept  sandy  riding-track  on  one 
side.  Then  there  are  immense  woods  and  the  Govern- 
ment forest,  all  unenclosed,  and  unfenced  fields 
where  one  can  canter  to  heart's  desire  along  excel- 
lent riding -paths.  The  whole  of  Central  Germany, 
more  especially  the  Mark  Brandenburg,  in  which 
Berlin  and  Potsdam  are  situated,  is  one  vast  plain 
of  light  sandy  soil,  made  exceedingly  fertile  by 
"  intensive  "  cultivation.  Watered  by  the  river 
Havel,  a  tributary  of  the  Elbe,  which  expands 
into  five  great  lakes  surrounding  the  town,  Pots- 
dam is,  as  Carlyle  calls  it,  an  "  intricate  amphi- 
bious region,"  more  water  than  land,  partaking, 
though  a  peninsula,  of  the  nature  of  an  island. 
Its  inhabitants  indulge  largely  in  swimming  and 
boating  on  the  placid  waters  which  run  up  into 


DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER    77 

the  streets  in  irregular  creeks  and  bays.  Great 
beds  of  rushes  skirt  the  borders  of  the  lakes,  while 
the  thick  forest  comes  down  to  the  water's  edge. 

The  town  itself  is  picturesque  and  old-fashioned, 
with  cobbled  roads  extremely  painful  to  walk 
upon.  Many  of  its  houses  were  built  in  the 
time  of  Frederick  the  Great  and  inhabited  by 
his  marshals  and  generals.  Its  streets  have  a 
somnolent  old-world  air,  and  its  society  is  very 
aristocratic  and  exclusive,  containing  as  it  does 
the  cream  of  Prussian  Junkerdom.  Several 
younger  sons  of  princely  houses,  officers  in  the 
crack  regiments  of  the  guards,  live  with  their  wives 
and  children  in  Potsdam.  Occasionally,  on  wet 
Sundays,  some  of  these  little  princes  and  prin- 
cesses came  to  spend  the  afternoon,  and  "  Mimi 
Hohenzollern,"  now  married  to  King  Manoel  of 
Portugal,  was  a  fairly  frequent  guest.  One  dull 
November  Sunday  evening  we  had  an  unusual 
number  of  children — about  twenty — some  of  them 
quite  small  and  rather  an  anxiety,  for  the  nurses 
and  governesses  who  accompanied  them  were 
sent  to  wait  downstairs,  \yhile  Herr  Schmidt  in 
charge  of  the  boys  and  myself  in  charge  of  the 
little  girls  were  left  to  cope  with  all  these  rather 
lively  young  people.  They  played  after  tea  at 
circus  in  the  big  Turn-Saal  at  the  top  of  the  Palace, 
where  there  was  plenty  of  room  to  romp  about, 
and  were  just  pondering  what  the  next  game 
should  be,  when  Herr  Schmidt,  inspired  by  some 
imp  of  malice,  made  the  suggestion  that  they 
should  all  go  to  the  theatre  in  the  dark. 

The  private  theatre  of  the  Neues  Palais,  built 
by  Frederick  the  Great  for  the  representation  of 


78     MEMORIES  OF  THE   KAISER'S  COURT 

French  plays,  was  situated  in  the  farthest  wing 
of  the  castle,  the  way  to  it  lying  through  chilly, 
unlit,  unwarmed  passages.  The  whole  horde  of 
children — hopeful  scions  of  princely  houses  whose 
names,  though  unknown  in  England,  permeate 
the  "  Almanac  de  Gotha,"  and  occasionally 
emerge  into  prominence  in  connection  with  some 
royal  or  imperial  marriage— were  rushing  like 
the  Gadarene  swine  towards  certain  destruction. 
Those  slippery  marble  staircases  !  Those  shallow 
balustrades !  The  darkness  and  the  cold  ! 
Terrible  "  Schnup fen  "—the  devastating  colds 
with  which  in  a  steam-heated  country  one  is 
eternally  warring — would  be  the  least  evil  that 
could  possibly  happen  to  them. 

Herr  Schmidt,  like  an  overgrown  schoolboy,  was 
laughing  gleefully  at  the  stampede. 

Fortunately  they  were  stopped  at  the  next 
staircase,  where  the  faint  gleam  of  a  lamp  served  to 
show  the  black  shadows  of  the  descent,  and  were 
brought  back,  much  disappointed,  to  play  a 
"humdrum  game,"  as  the  Princess  called  it,  of 
hide-and-seek. 

-v  The  Emperor  Jo  his  sonsjvas  stern  enough,  and 
saw  that  Prince  Joachim  was  shortly  despatched 
to  join  his  brothers  at  school  in  Ploen,  but  to- 
wards his  little  daughter  he  allowed  himself, 
perhaps  unconsciously,  to  be  somewhat  lenient. 

Her  bright  alert  intelligence  evidently  responded 
to  something  in  himself ;  her  constantly  ex- 
hibited affection,  her  love  for  his  society  flattered 
him  irresistibly,  as  they  would  any  father  in  the 
world.  He  wrote  long  letters  to  her  when  away, 
sent     her    picture-postcards    and    small    trifling 


DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER    79 

presents  from  places  where  he  was  staying.  Her 
first  letter  to  him  in  English  was  something  of 
an  event,  written  with  the  greatest  care  and  after 
much  anxious  consultation  with  me  as  to  the 
intricacies  of  "  that  awful  English  spelling."  It 
received  an  immediate  and  nattering  reply,  also 
in  English. 

"  Papa  was  delighted  with  my  letter,"  she  said, 
her  face  glowing  with  happiness. 

On  every  possible  opportunity  the  Emperor 
liked  to  have  his  daughter  with  him  ;  would  seize 
and  carry  her  off,  sticking  her  bodkin-wise  in  the 
carriage  between  himself  and  the  Empress.  He 
never  troubled  much  if  she  missed  a  few  lessons. 
He  was  no  believer  in  higher  education  for  women.-* 

One  afternoon,  on  a  birthday  or  some  other 
anniversary,  the  band  of  the  Potsdam  Guards  had 
been  ordered  to  perform  at  the  Palace,  and  as, 
owing  to  the  heavy  rain,  they  were  not  able  to 
remain  outside  on  the  terrace,  they  were  installed 
in  the  large  Marmor  Saal,  where  they  played 
before  the  Emperor  and  Empress. 

His  Majesty  stood  alone  in  front  of  the  band 
for  some  time,  moving  his  body  and  limbs  in  time 
to  the  music,  while  the  Princess  and  Prince  Joachim, 
at  a  distance  of  a  few  yards,  were  doing  the  same 
thing,  all  three  wriggling  the  left  leg  in  time  to- 
gether and  looking  rather  like  marionettes  jerked 
by  a  string. 

The  bandmaster  continued  gravely  to  beat 
time,  when  suddenly  His  Majesty  made  a  sign 
to  one  of  his  adjutants,  who  immediately  handed 
him  a  conductor's  baton,  and  the  Emperor  began 
to  assist  to  conduct,  while  the  two  children,  each 


80     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

raising  a  forefinger,  did  their  little  best  also  to 
help. 

Some  members  of  the  band  looked  a  little  sur- 
prised at  having  no  less  than  four  conductors 
and  four  different  time-beats  to  follow,  but  after 
a  time  they  settled  down  again,  and  keeping  their 
eyes  firmly  fixed  on  the  music,  played  triumphantly 
to  the  end. 
-+  His  Majesty  has  not  a  highly  cultivated  taste  in 
music.  He  likes  something  military  in  style,  with 
well-marked  time  and  rhythm,  and  Wagner  makes 
no  appeal  to  his  tastes. 

His  patronage  of  the  art  has  been  singularly 
unfortunate,  and  all  the  operatic  pieces  to  which 
he  has  stood  godfather  are  always  played  to  very 
thin  houses.  He  comforts  himself  by  inveighing 
against  the  want  of  musical  taste  shown  by  Berlin 
audiences.  The  critics  treat  these  pieces  with 
contempt,  ignoring  their  existence,  and  the  news- 
papers publish  a  bare  announcement  that  they 
have  been  performed,  and  make  no  further  com- 
ment. 

Within  the  last  two  years  the  Emperor  has  had 
an  Opera  constructed  as  a  setting  for  various 
dances  performed  in  Corfu  by  the  peasants  there. 
At  great  expense  the  Director  of  the  Opera-House 
has  had  to  send  professionals  to  study  the  various 
dances  on  the  spot,  to  copy  the  Corfiote  costumes, 
and  to  paint  the  scenery  of  the  island.  But  trans- 
planted from  Corfu  and  its  picturesque  surround- 
ings to  the  Berlin  Opera-stage,  these  dances 
appear  excessively  dull  and  meaningless,  and  are 
not  in  the  least  redeemed  by  the  accompanying 
music  founded  on  ancient  Greek  melodies. 


DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER    81 

This  opera  was  played  before  King  George  and 
Queen  Mary  on  the  last  evening  of  their  stay  in 
Berlin,  two  days  after  the  wedding  of  the  Emperor's 
daughter. 

None  of  the  children  of  the  Kaiser,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Crown  Prince,  who  learned  to 
play  the  violin  fairly  well,  have  ever  mastered 
any  musical  instrument.  For  some  years  the 
Princess  made  strenuous  efforts  to  learn  the  piano, 
but  in  spite  of  her  love  of  music  she  was  never  able 
to  play  even  the  simplest  piece  approximately 
correctly.  Various  professors  of  the  art  came  and 
went— came  with  the  joyous  glow  caused  by  the 
honour  of  teaching  royalty,  only  to  retire;  baffled } 
after  a  few  lessons. 

At  last,  when  the  Princess  was  about  fourteen, 
she  gave  up  the  unequal  contest,  and  refused  to 
waste  more  time  in  efforts  to  attain  the  unattain- 
able. 

Occasionally  she  has  been  heard  to  reproach 
any  of  her  companions  who  had  no  yearnings 
after  musical  instruction. 

"  You  don't  want  to  learn  the  piano  ?  But 
supposing  you  happen  to  marry  a  musical  husband, 
whatever  should  you  do  if  you  couldn't  play  to 
him  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  would  probably  be  happier  if  I  didn't 
play  to  him,"  replied  one  child  of  conspicuous 
good  sense. 

This  observation  helped  the  Princess  to  realize 
that  piano-playing  of  the  baser  sort  was  not  a 
necessary  ingredient  of  happy  matrimony,  and  she 
shortly  afterwards  renounced  further  ambitions 
in  that  direction. 

6 


82     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Nor  in  the  domain  of  painting  and  drawing, 
though  fond  of  both,  did  she  accomplish  any- 
thing noteworthy,  as  she  did  not  possess  the 
necessary  perseverance  and  patience,  and  was 
always  too  eager  to  arrive  at  the  effect ;  so  that  her 
pictures,  like  her  music,  always  promised  some- 
thing that  was  never  realized.  For  outdoor 
sketching  she  professed  a  great  affection,  but  it 
was  probably  the  "  outdoorness  "  more  than  the 
sketching  that  she  really  loved. 

As  a  child,  animals,  particularly  horses,  were 
her  great  passion,  and  she  paid  many  Sunday 
afternoon  visits  to  Busch's  Circus  in  Berlin,  where 
a  large  party  of  little  boys  and  girls  were  also 
invited  to  fill  up  the  royal  box. 

The  Berlin  populace  who  crowd  the  Circus  on 
Sundays  were  delighted  to  see  the  "  Klein e  Prin- 
zessin,"  as  they  loved  to  call  her,  enjoying  herself 
in  their  midst. 

Tea  was  always  served  after  the  performance 
in  the  flower-bedecked  room  behind  the  box, 
where  the  Herr  Cirkus-Direktor  appeared  in  his 
dress  suit  to  receive  the  thanks  and  congratula- 
tions of  the  Princess,  who  asked  interested  ques- 
tions about  the  performing  horses  and  told  him 
how  beautifully  her  own  little  Arab  mare  could 
do  the  "  Spanish  trot."  She  enjoyed  these  circus 
performances  and  the  sawdust  and  smells,  and  the 
faces  of  the  good  Berliners  turned  as  one  man 
towards  the  royal  box  in  the  intervals.  Then 
there  was  the  return  to  the  station  through  the 
big  Sunday  crowd  along  the  Linden,  where  the 
people  stood  patiently  waiting  to  see  the  carriages 
pass,   waving   pocket-handkerchiefs   and   bowing, 


DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER    83 

and  shouting  "  Hoch  lebe  die  kleine  Prinzessin," 
and  wearing  those  expansive  smiles,  all  of  the  same 
width  and  pattern,  to  which  one  soon  grew  accus- 
tomed as  part  of  the  Sunday  performance. 

And  if  it  was  not  the  circus  then  it  was  the 
theatre — Wilhelm  Tell  or  Wallenstein,  or  sometimes 
on  special  occasions  even  the  Opera.  It  is  not 
known  at  what  age  the  Princess  was  first  intro- 
duced to  Opera,  but  it  must  have  been  at  a 
very  early  one.  She  was  quite  an  old  habitue 
when  I  first  knew  her. 

When  Beerbohm  Tree  came  with  his  company  to 
Berlin  for  a  week  or  ten  days,  to  show  the  Germans 
something  about  stage-management,  the  Empress 
wished  the  Princess  to  see  the  English  actor,  but 
feared  there  was  nothing  very  suitable  in  his  reper- 
toire. However,  after  carefully  re-reading  Richard  1 1 
she  decided  that  it  was  a  very  suitable  play  for 
stimulating  historical  interest,  and  the  Princess,  to 
her  joy,  accompanied  Their  Majesties.  She  was 
delighted  with  Miss  Viola  Tree,  who,  as  the  Queen, 
came  riding  on  to  the  stage  on  a  gallant  white 
horse  in  gorgeous  trappings — one  that  belonged 
to  the  royal  stables  and  had  often  eaten  sugar 
from  the  Princess's  hand.  She  saw  Beerbohm  Tree 
as  Richard  II  dying  in  his  dungeon,  and  was  able 
next  day  to  reproduce  his  words,  his  gestures, 
even  the  peculiar  characteristic  tones  of  his  voice 
exactly,  for  she  had  great  gifts  of  mimicry,  and 
her  talent  ranged  from  the  reproduction  of  the 
antics  of  "  Sally,"  the  pet  chimpanzee  of  the 
Berlin  "  Zoo,"  to  the  dignified  gestures  of  a  Julius 
Caesar. 

Beerbohm  Tree's  stay  in  Berlin  must  have  been 


84     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

fraught  to  him  with  peculiar  anxiety,  for  on  the 
Sunday  (when  he  gave  two  performances)  all  his 
German  scene-shifters  deserted  him  to  go  to  the 
funeral  of  a  notable  Socialist,  and  he  was  left 
to  grapple  as  he  could  with  the  situation.  There 
were  terribly  long  waits  between  the  scenes  of 
Antony  and  Cleopatra,  at  which  Their  Majesties 
were  present,  and  once  the  curtain  went  up  prema- 
turely, revealing  British  stage-carpenters  among 
the  splendours  of  ancient  Egypt. 

The  visits  of  the  Princess  to  the  theatre  often 
involved  the  "  Intendant "  or  Director  in  some 
anxiety,  as  he  was  asked  by  the  Empress  to  select 
some  play  which  would  be,  if  not  suitable,  at 
least  inoffensive :  for  on  this  point  the  Empress 
was  very  particular.  One  Director,  wishing  to 
please  in  this  respect,  had  struck  out  of  one  piece 
the  only  line  he  could  find  capable  of  offence,  but 
was  assured  by  one  of  His  Majesty's  adjutants 
that  there  was  another  part  which  he  was  certain 
ought  to  be  slightly  altered,  though  he  couldn't 
quite  recollect  where  it  came  in.  The  unfortunate 
Director  spent  every  spare  moment  up  to  the  per- 
formance trying  to  run  to  ground  the  objection- 
able lines,  but  never  was  able  to  find  them,  as  they 
did  not  exist,  and  had  only  been  suggested  to  him 
out  of  "  pure  cussedness  "  by  the  wicked  adjutant 
in  question,  who  chuckled  with  unholy  pleasure 
at  the  success  of  his  little  joke — especially  when 
he  found  two  of  the  court  ladies  feverishly  search- 
ing the  pages  of  their  Schiller  with  the  hope  of 
helping  the  Director  in  his  quest. 

The  Berlin  Opera  House,  which  stands  only  a 
few  yards  from  the  Royal  Schloss,  was  built  by 


DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER     85 

Frederick  the  Great,  and  though  a  fine  building,  is 
hardly  up-to-date  in  its  accommodation  for  either 
performers  or  audience.  After  the  terrible  theatre- 
fire  in  Chicago  where,  for  want  of  adequate  exits, 
many  lives  were  lost,  very  hideous  iron  staircases 
were  constructed  outside  it  by  order  of  the  Emperor; 
and  these,  while  giving  perhaps  some  additional 
sense  of  security  to  the  audience,  altogether  spoil 
the  appearance  of  the  building — which  His  Majesty 
is  anxious  to  replace  by  a  new  one  constructed 
on  modern  lines  in  a  style  of  architecture  suitable 
to  its  surroundings. 

A  Berlin  Opera  audience  is  not  conspicuous  for 
smartness,  and  a  few  years  ago  morning  blouses 
and  tweed  skirts,  with  a  pair  of  rather  weary 
white  kid  gloves,  were  considered  by  the  ladies  as 
quite  sufficient  for  the  Parkett  (stalls)  ;  but  by  dint 
of  special  orders  from  the  Emperor  and  the  ex- 
ample of  a  few  well-known  ladies  a  decided  im- 
provement in  dress  is  now  observable.  Officers 
in  their  uniforms  are  plentifully  besprinkled 
among  the  audience,  as  they  can  get  tickets  at 
reduced  prices. 

Whenever  the  Emperor's  presence  is  announced 
beforehand  no  one  is  admitted  who  is  not  in 
evening  dress.  This  order  was  for  a  time  not 
strictly  enforced,  and  a  good  proportion  of  the 
audience  even  after  repeated  warnings  habitually 
ignored  it ;  but  on  one  occasion  all  whose  dress 
did  not  come  up  to  the  required  standard — ladies 
whose  gown  was  not  ausgeschnitten,  men  who  had 
omitted  to  put  on  the  regulation  suit— were  politely 
but  firmly  refused  admission  and  advised  to  go 
home  again  and  change !    There  was  much  anger 


86     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

and  heart-burning,  but  no  one  now  fails  to  obey 
the  imperial  mandate. 

On  the  Emperor's  birthday,  and  when  the 
visits  of  foreign  potentates  take  place,  no  tickets 
are  sold  and  the  seats  are  occupied  entirely  by 
guests  invited  by  His  Majesty.  A  splendidly 
brilliant  spectacle  is  presented  on  these  occasions. 
The  whole  house  is  decorated  with  wreaths  of 
flowers,  the  Parkett  filled  entirely  with  the  gentle- 
men of  the  Diplomatic  Corps,  Ambassadors  and 
envoys  from  the  remotest  parts  of  the  world. 
Chinese  mandarins  in  yellow  silk  robes,  wearing 
peacocks'  feathers  in  their  caps,  Turks  and 
Egyptians  in  red  fezes,  all  mingle  with  the  uni- 
forms of  every  existing  army  into  a  wonderful 
mass  of  scintillating  colour.  The  ladies  on  these 
occasions  are  seated  in  the  dress  circle,  in  a  line 
with  the  Royal  Box  which  is  crowded  with  princely 
personages. 

Before  the  entrance  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
the  Intendant  of  the  Theatre  in  full  uniform  comes 
to  the  front  of  the  box  and  taps  loudly  three  times 
on  the  floor  with  his  wand  of  office,  and  at  once 
that  queer  gabbling  jargon  of  incoherent  sound 
which  rises  from  a  crowd  of  people  talking  together 
is  suddenly  hushed  into  a  complete  silence,  in 
which  Their  Majesties  with  their  guests  slowly 
advance,  bow  to  the  audience  and  take  their 
places. 

I  invariably  received  a  ticket  for  a  stage  box  on 
these  occasions,  the  best  possible  place  for  an  un- 
interrupted view  of  the  house. 

From  this  point  of  vantage  at  different  times 
I  saw  many  notable  royal   personalities,   among 


DIVERSIONS  OF  THE  KAISER'S  DAUGHTER     87 

others  the  late  King  Edward  with  Queen  Alexandra, 
who  visited  Berlin  the  year  before  the  King's 
death.  The  performance  on  these  occasions  was 
always  short  and  not  too  absorbing,  and  on  King 
Edward's  visit  the  spectacular  play  of  Sardana- 
pahis  was  given,  which, strictly  speaking. is  hardly 
to  be  classed  with  opera  at  all,  consisting  as  it  does 
of  a  series  of  splendid  pictures  interspersed  with 
songs.  The  last  scene  of  all  is  a  very  realistic  and 
vivid  representation  of  the  funeral  pyre  of  Sardana- 
palus,  whither  slaves  bring  all  the  treasures  of  the 
house  to  be  consumed  by  the  fire,  which,  beginning 
with  little  licking  tongues  of  flame,  soon  spreads 
to  a  wide  and  vivid  blaze,  in  which  Sardanapalus 
and  all  his  household  perish. 

At  the  moment  before  the  curtain  finally  de- 
scends the  whole  stage  has  the  appearance  of  a 
glowing  furnace  threaded  with  leaping  flames 
and  rolling  billows  of  smoke. 

King  Edward,  being  very  tired  with  his  hard 
day's  work  in  Berlin,  had  indulged  in  a  short  nap 
during  the  scene,  and  woke  to  consciousness  at 
the  moment  of  most  intense  conflagration,  when 
he  was  for  a  few  moments  much  excited  and 
alarmed,  believing  that  the  fire  was  real  and 
wondering  why  the  firemen  stationed  at  the  wings 
had  not  yet  become  active.  With  some  difficulty 
the  Empress  managed  to  convince  him  that  there 
was  no  danger. 


CHAPTER    V 

CHRISTMAS    AT    COURT 

CHRISTMAS  at  Court,  as  elsewhere,  was  a 
time  of  jubilant  festivity  preceded  by  long 
weeks  of  hard  work  and  preparation.  As 
the  Princess  herself  remarked,  "  one  never  dare 
sit  down  and  think  for  a  minute  without  a  piece 
of  work  in  one's  hand." 

Somewhere  about  the  middle  of  November,  or 
even  earlier,  was  the  great  time  in  Berlin  for  charity 
bazaars,  which  the  Court  ladies  assiduously  at- 
tended, making  large  purchases  of  clothing  on 
behalf  of  Her  Majesty.  I  often  accompanied  one 
of  them  to  the  various  big  shops  of  Berlin,  and 
gasped  at  the  prompt  and  wholesale  manner  of 
her  orders — fifteen  cushions  and  twenty-five  photo- 
graph frames  being  selected  in  as  many  seconds, 
together  with  other  objects  in  like  proportion. 

Enormous  bales  of  goods  began  to  arrive,  and 
were  placed  in  the  M armor  Saal,  a  splendid  apart- 
ment which  was  used  on  great  occasions  for  the 
entertainment  of  royal  guests,  but  in  the  weeks 
before  Christmas  took  on  a  more  homely  human 
aspect,  being  piled  up  with  warm  garments  of 
every  description,  heaps  of  toys,  books,  almanacks, 
cakes  of  soap,  boots  and  shoes. 

Every  man,  woman  and  child  having  any 
connection   with    the  royal   estates   in   Cadinen, 

88 


CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT  89 

Hubertus-stock,  Rominten,  Neues  Palais  or  Berlin 
was  remembered,  and  the  work  involved  in  choos- 
ing their  various  gifts  was  always  personally 
superintended  and  shared  by  Her  Majesty,  the 
Princess  and  the  ladies  of  the  Court.  I  can  still 
feel  in  my  nose  the  disagreeable  tingle,  analogous  to 
a  mild  form  of  hay  fever,  caused  by  the  nufhness 
of  those  multitudinous  piles  of  flannelette  gar- 
ments, thick  woolly  stockings  and  socks  which  I 
helped  to  sort  and  count.  The  Inspektor  (agent) 
or  clergyman  of  every  district  had  to  furnish 
a  list  of  every  family  in  it,  with  the  name  and 
age  of  each  member  of  it  accurately  inscribed. 
Everybody  received  one  garment  at  least,  to- 
gether with  a  toy  (if  a  child),  a  book,  a  text, 
and  one  or  two  packages  of  Pfeffer-Kuchen. 
Each  bundle  was  tied  up  separately  with  pink 
or  blue  tape,  and  labelled  with  the  name  of  the 
person  for  whom  it  was  intended,  together  with 
the  list  of  gifts. 

Often  there  were  families  of  nine  or  ten 
children,  and  nearly  every  year  one  more  infant 
was  added  to  their  list.  The  Empress  when 
distributing  the  cakes  of  soap  would  relate  how 
the  good  peasants  at  first  preferred  to  keep  them 
as  souvenirs  rather  than  use  them  for  their  legiti- 
mate purpose,  bringing  them  out  with  pride  to 
show  to  Her  Majesty  a  year  or  so  later,  carefully 
wrapped  up  and  put  away. 

One  of  those  persons  whose  idea  of  the 
German  Empress  is  that  she  spends  her  life  in  a 
series  of  domestic  duties  once  sent  for  her  accept- 
ance a  small  parcel,  together  with  the  following 
letter  : 


90     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

"  Most  Excellent  Majesty,  Berlin. 
"  Most  Gracious  Empress, 

"  May  it  please  your  Majesty.  I  crave 
your  Majesty's  patronage,  hailing  from  the 
Emerald  Isle :  the  enclose  (sic)  cover  for  painting 
arranging  china  is  procurable  in  any  shade  of  linen. 
I  have  the  honour  to  remain  with  the  profoundest 
veneration, 

"  Your  Majesty's  most  dutiful  servant, 

"  James   Barker   (Belfast)  " 

The  "  enclose  cover  "  was  a  green  apron  with 
a  nice  large  pocket  in  what  is  called,  I  believe, 
"  art  shade,"  but  as  such  gifts  are  never  accepted 
without  payment  it  was  put  on  one  side  with  the 
idea  of  being  returned.  Her  Majesty,  however, 
happening  to  need  something  as  a  protection  for 
her  dress  when  handling  the  before-mentioned 
fluffy  garments,  found  that  the  green  apron 
supplied  a  distinct  want,  and  it  was  worn  every 
day  by  the  Empress  for  the  next  few  weeks. 
Obviously  "James  Barker,"  even  if  his  literary 
style  was  not  of  the  highest  order,  had  an  instinct 
for  supplying  the  right  thing  at  the  right  moment. 
The  "  Irish  apron  "  was  the  subject  of  constant 
praise,  and  during  "  the  wearin'  o'  the  green  " 
Her  Majesty  frequently  expressed  her  appreciation 
of  its  practical  utility.  It  was,  I  believe,  the  only 
apron  Her  Majesty  ever  wore. 

To  the  Princess  personally,  the  approach  of 
Christmas  was  a  serious  time  for  many  reasons, 
chiefly  financial.  Until  she  was  seventeen  she 
received  only  a  personal  allowance  of  five  marks 
a  month,  out  of  which  she  was  supposed  to  buy 


CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT  91 

her  own  stamps  and  to  spare  a  Sunday  contribu- 
tion towards  the  collection.  It  may  perhaps  be  a 
breach  of  confidence  to  reveal  that  this  contribution 
was  never  allowed  to  exceed  ten  pfennigs,  amount- 
ing to  one  penny  in  English  coin ;  and  I  can  never 
forget  the  look  of  sorrowful  indignation  when  I 
tendered  to  her  one  day  in  chapel,  out  of  pure 
inadvertence,  the  smallest  silver  coin  of  German 
currency,  a  fifty-pfennig-piece,  worth  a  little  less 
than  sixpence.  She  had  to  put  it  in  the  plate, 
but  absolutely  refused  to  refund  me  the  excess 
value. 

"  How  am  I  to  buy  my  stamps  when  you  are 
so  reckless  ?  "  she  demanded  when  outside  the 
chapel  door. 

The  balancing  of  her  small  accounts  was  always 
fraught  with  many  sighs  and  groans. 

"  Always  thirty-five  pfennigs  too  little,"  she 
would  announce  as  she  drew  the  final  double  line. 
She  had  the  greatest  sympathy  with  Mr.  Micawber 
when  we  read  "  David  Copperfield  "  together,  and 
agreed  heartily  with  his  dictum  that,  given  an 
income  of  twenty  pounds  a  year,  the  spending  of 
nineteen  pounds  nineteen  shillings  and  sixpence 
would  result  in  happiness,  but  that  if  the  expendi- 
ture reached  twenty  pounds  and  sixpence  it  would 
spell  misery.  So  that  as  soon  as  Christmas  began 
to  loom  in  the  distance  there  were  many  anxious 
consultations  as  to  how  to  obtain  the  necessary 
presents  for  her  various  relations.  Of  course 
"  Papa  and  Mamma"  had  to  have  something  very 
special  and  individual  worked  by  herself — any- 
thing bought  ready-made  in  a  shop  was  not  to 
be  thought  of. 


92     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

"  Cushions  and  lampshades  seem  to  be  the  only 
things  one  can  make  oneself,"  said  the  Princess 
disconsolately,  "and  Mamma  has  twenty-four 
lampshades  already  and  dozens  and  dozens  of 
cushions.  We  must  think  of  something  cheap  too. 
I'm  so  awfully  poor." 

Year  after  year  this  problem  re-emerged.  For- 
tunately the  powers  that  controlled  the  purse- 
strings  decreed  that  all  materials  for  presents 
should  be  bought  out  of  the  Princess's  own  money, 
but  that  in  the  matter  of  "  making  up  "  the  ex- 
chequer would  provide  the  needful  funds. 

So  the  harassed  child  was  forced  into  the  manu- 
facture of  those  articles^  which  are  cheap  in  the 
initial  outlay }  but  rather  expensive  to  complete, 
such  as  slippers,  worked  picture-frames,  cushions, 
and  so  on. 

One  Christmas,  at  an  acute  crisis  when  for  some 
reason  the  list  of  presents  expanded  to  twenty- 
eight,  the  advent  into  fashion  of  ribbon-work 
saved  her  from  despair.  She  begged  some  odd 
pieces  of  silk  and  brocade  from  Her  Majesty's 
workroom  for  the  purpose  of  making  glove  and 
handkerchief  sachets.  Ribbon-work  is,  as  every- 
one knows  who  has  done  it,  capable,  especially 
the  broad  kind,  of  making  the  maximum  of  effect 
with  the  minimum  of  effort.  So  while  I  hastily 
sketched  simple  but  pleasing  designs  of  apple- 
blossom  or  violets  on  the  corners  of  everything, 
the  Princess  sat  and  worked  feverishly.  She  was 
an  indefatigable  and  rapid  needlewoman — perhaps 
a  little  too  rapid  to  be  very  accurate — and  got 
through  a  tremendous  amount  of  work,  sticking 
to  it  hour  after  hour  if  the  occasion  demanded  it 


CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT  98 

and  any  one  would  read  to  her.  To  this  day 
certain  portions  of  "  Kidnapped"  or  "  Hereward" 
seem  inextricably  interwoven  in  my  mind  with  the 
sound  of  those  long-drawn  gay  ribbons  and  an 
intensely  absorbed  face  surrounded  by  tumbled 
golden  hair,  bending  in  the  lamplight  over  her 
self-imposed  task. 

Sometimes  the  Princess  and  Prince  Joachim  when 
they  were  sitting  in  the  evening  with  the  Empress 
would  both  be  working  at  the  very  Christmas 
present  destined  for  her,  and  she  was  therefore 
bound,  under  often-reiterated  promises,  to  ignore 
what  they  were  doing  and  to  turn  her  eyes  con- 
scientiously in  another  direction.  Her  Majesty 
often  laughingly  complained  of  the  suspicions 
they  both  harboured  as  to  her  integrity  in  this 
matter.  They  would  erect  newspaper  screens 
around  themselves  and  their  occupations,  and  if 
the  screens  fell  down,  as  frequently  happened, 
then  "  Mamma  "  had  to  shut  her  eyes  or  turn  away 
her  head  until  they  were  temporarily  re-erected, 
only  to  fall  down  again  in  another  five  minutes. 

About  three  weeks  or  less  before  Christmas,  a 
further  inroad  on  our  time  was  made  by  the 
practice  of  carol-singing,  which  took  place  (on 
account  of  the  piano)  in  the  salon  of  the  Princess, 
leading  out  of  that  of  the  Ober-Gouvernante. 
Every  one  of  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the 
Palace  possessing  the  very  faintest  pretension  to 
vocal  ability  was  pressed  into  the  service,  and  the 
unfortunate  Hof-Prediger  or  Court  Chaplain,  who 
undertook  the  herculean  task  of  training  this 
very  scratch  choir  to  sing  together  in  some  kind 
of  time  and  tune,  was,  especially  as  he  was  a  very 


94     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

musical  man,  much  to  be  pitied  ;  but  with  unfailing 
good-humour  he  bravely  battled  with  his  task. 

All  the  sons  of  the  Emperor  on  leaving  the 
University  have  homes  and  households  of  their  own 
provided  in  Potsdam,  where  they  live  until  they 
marry ;  and  these  Princes,  with  their  adjutants, 
were  invited  to  come  and  help  to  swell  the  chorus, 
and,  as  they  stayed  in  the  Neues  Palais  itself 
during  Christmas  week,  were,  although  they 
grew  a  little  restive  under  the  process,  constantly 
summoned  from  their  rooms  for  "  one  more 
practice." 

One  of  their  adjutants  was  a  great  disappoint- 
ment to  us.  We  had  built  great  hopes  upon  him, 
as  he  had  declared  himself  capable  of  singing 
bass,  but  his  idea  was  to  boom  out  the  air  an 
octave  below  the  treble,  which  was  of  course  very 
unsatisfactory. 

By  means  of  ceaseless  drilling  and  practising 
the  Princess  and  Prince  Joachim  had  been  taught 
to  sing  alto  ;  the  Hof-Prediger  himself  sang  tenor ; 
and  as  the  ladies  managed  the  treble  very  well 
we  had  great  hopes  of  being  able  to  perform 
a  capella,  that  is  without  instrumental  accom- 
paniment. But,  however  well  we  sang  beforehand, 
at  the  critical  moment  this  design  had  always  to  be 
abandoned.  Somebody  had  a  cold,  or  another 
was  not  sure  of  a  C  sharp,  and  most  of  us  were 
frightfully  nervous,  so  that  after  much  discussion 
and  wrangling  we  invariably  fell  back  on  the 
support  of  the  piano. 

These  carols,  Stille  Nacht,  Kommet  ihr  Kinder, 
and  others  were  to  be  performed  first  before 
the   assembled  maids,  footmen   and  Jagers   who 


CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT  95 

came  to  receive  presents  from  Her  Majesty,  and 
afterwards  before  the  Emperor  himself,  so  that 
we  naturally  were  anxious  to  acquit  ourselves  as 
well  as  possible. 

All  over  Germany  the  Bescherung  or  presentation 
of  Christmas  gifts  always  takes  place  on  Christmas 
Eve — Weihnachts  Abend — usually  in  the  evening. 

To  understand  something  of  the  intensity  to 
which  at  Christmas  the  atmosphere  can  attain, 
one  must  be  at  that  time  in  the  Fatherland.  A 
good  six  weeks  beforehand,  those  who  happen 
to  be  near  the  railway  line  may  note  the  passing 
of  luggage  trains  bearing  nothing  but  small 
pine  trees — that  is  to  say  comparatively  small,  for 
many  are  ten  or  twelve  feet  high.  They  are 
the  thinnings  of  the  big  pine  forests  of  the  Thiir- 
inger-Wald,  and  come  down  daily  to  Berlin  and 
the  other  large  towns  to  supply  the  wants  of  the 
dealers  in  such  trees.  Every  public  square  be- 
comes a  miniature  pine-wood.  Even  the  stringent 
police  regulations  are  relaxed  for  the  time.  In 
all  the  broad  streets  are  dealers  in  trees,  sellers 
of  toys,  of  Pfeffer  Kuchen,  of  filigree  ornaments, 
of  air-ships,  toy  flying-machines  and  other  Christ- 
mas luxuries. 

Travellers  in  the  train  can  see  depending  by  a 
string  from  the  sill  of  every  window  of  those  huge 
barrack-like  flats  which  surround  Berlin,  usually 
hanging  upside  down,  the  W eihnachts-Baum,  the 
tree  of  promise,  which  has  to  be  kept  in  as  out-of- 
door  conditions  as  possible,  or,  being  cut  off  at 
the  root,  it  would  soon  become  dangerously  dry 
if  it  were  not  occasionally  damped  with  the  water- 
ing-can.    It  is  safe  to  say  that  hardly  any  house 


96     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

in  Germany,  whether  the  inhabitants  be  young 
or  old,  rich  or  poor,  is  without  its  tiny  tree  at 
Christmas-tide.  One  sees  them  in  lonely  signal- 
boxes  on  the  railway,  in  poverty-stricken  cottage 
windows,  in  workshops,  in  barracks,  in  churches 
and  chapels.  There  is  a  touching  and  peculiar 
sentiment  towards  Christmas  inherent  in  every 
German  heart,  which  makes  the  very  scent  of  a 
burning  pine  branch,  that  aromatic  smell  which 
pervades  the  air  at  this  season,  recall  the  old  child- 
ish days,  the  wonder  and  the  glory  of  W eihnachts- 
Glanz. 

So  that  everybody  in  the  Neues  Palais,  wearing 
the  slightly  worried  look  peculiar  to  the  time, 
strains  every  nerve  to  add  his  or  her  quota  to 
the  general  W eihnachts-stimmung — or  "Christmas- 
mood." 

It  is  in  the  big  Muschel-Saal  that  the  glory  and 
brightness  concentrate.  Here  in  this  wonderful 
hall  of  shells  the  row  of  big  Christmas  trees  is 
arranged — one  for  every  child  of  the  Emperor, 
one  for  His  Majesty  and  the  Empress,  and  another 
for  the  ladies-in-waiting,  nine  trees  in  all,  besides 
two  for  the  servants'  distribution.  In  addition 
to  this  every  one  must  have  a  private  tree.  It 
would  be  a  terrible  thing  to  find  a  single  sitting- 
room  without  its  little  pine-tree  and  shining  tinsel 
ornaments. 

The  Muschel-Saal  occupies  the  centre  of  the 
Palace.  On  its  walls  are  every  variety  of  shell, 
arranged  in  fantastic  patterns — roses,  stars,  and 
spirals  of  every  kind — while  the  middle  pillars  are 
decorated  with  specimens  of  various  beautiful 
stone  or  marble  in  a  kind  of  irregular  rockwork. 


CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT  97 

Here  are  to  be  found  large  lumps  of  amber  from 
the  shores  of  the  Baltic  Sea  (one  with  a  fly 
distinctly  visible  far  below  the  surface),  pieces 
of  blue  lapis  lazuli,  green  malachite,  red  jasper 
and  ringed  onyx,  alabaster,  porphyry,  quartz  of 
every  shape  and  colour,  irregular  pieces  all  highly 
polished  and  set  in  cement  on  the  massive 
square  pillars  that  uphold  the  roof.  They  sparkle 
in  a  thousand  colours  under  the  wax  lights  of  the 
candelabra  and  the  twinkling  tapers  of  the  trees. 

These  last  are  decorated  almost  entirely  by  the 
young  princes  and  their  sister.  Besides  the 
candles  they  are  hung  with  Konfekt,  most  delicious 
chocolate  rings  covered  with  "  hundreds  and 
thousands."  Sometimes  the  decorators  take  slight 
nibbles  at  broken  pieces,  and  are  sternly  checked 
for  it  by  the  others.  Then  plenty  of  silver 
"lametta"  and  "  angels'  -hair,"  filmy  silvery 
threads  giving  an  impression  of  hoar-frost,  are 
added,  and  a  Christbaum-Engel  with  wide-open 
wings  or  a  large  silver  star  is  put  at  the  apex 
of  each  tree,  which  is  then  firmly  fixed  in  a 
large  green-painted  stand,  specially  made  for  its 
reception. 

The  real  business  of  Bescherung  begins  already 
upon  the  day  before  Christmas  Eve,  or  even  sooner. 
The  Empress  rushes  from  one  Kinder-heim  to 
another,  to  hospitals  and  schools,  putting  in  a  few 
minutes  here  and  there,  always  with  the  same 
ready  smile  for  every  one,  the  same  fresh  look  of 
interest  in  the  oft-repeated  ceremony,  the  oft- 
sung  carol.  She  never  tires  of  giving  pleasure 
to  others,  and  has  little  time  to  rest.  It  is  a  very 
busy  day,  too,  for  the  Princess,  for  all  the  morning 

7 


98     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

she  is  busy  decorating  a  small  tree  for  two  needy 
children — little  girls  who  are  chosen  by  the  Hof- 
Prediger  with  the  help  of  a  deaconess  who  visits 
the  poorer  quarters  of  the  town.  These  two 
children  with  their  mother  or  an  elder  sister  are 
invited  to  come  to  the  Palace  in  the  afternoon, 
where  they  are  given  coffee  and  cake  in  the  little 
kitchen  of  the  Prinzen-Wohnung.  Their  ages 
are  usually  between  seven  and  nine,  and  they  are 
often  painfully  shy,  though  there  are  brilliant 
exceptions  whose  naturalness  breaks  through  the 
artificial  barrier  of  onerous  and  excessive  Manieren 
imposed  on  them  by  anxious  relations  imperfectly 
instructed  in  such  things. 

While  they  consume  their  coffee  and  cake,  the 
Princess  directs  her  footman  to  draw  down  all 
the  blinds  of  the  big  salon,  so  as  to  shut  out  the 
two-o'clock  winter  daylight  and  create  a  proper 
background  for  the  twinkling  lights  on  the  tree, 
which  are  all  reflected  from  the  mirrors  of  the 
room.  On  a  table  are  spread  out  a  complete  suit 
of  clothing  for  each  child,  not  excepting  boots 
and  stockings,  a  large  basket  of  provisions,  con- 
taining among  other  things  some  of  those  famous 
German  sausages,  Leber-Wurst  and  Blut-Wurst, 
besides  coffee,  sugar,  Pfeffer-Kuchen  and  other 
Christmas  delicacies.  There  is  always  a  large 
doll  on  each  side  of  the  table  supported  by  the  heap 
of  clothing  and  staring  into  the  middle  distance 
with  the  usual  doll-like  look  of  vacuity. 

The  Ober-Gouvernante  and  one  or  two  of  the 
ladies  of  the  Empress  are  always  present,  and  the 
Princess  professes  to  feel  very  nervous,  though 
there  is  little  sign  of  it  in  her  greeting  of  the  shy 


CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT  99 

little  mites,  when  the  big  doors  are  opened  by  the 
footmen  and  they  creep  in  with  their  mothers 
almost  overcome  with  the  beauty  and  the  wonder 
of  it  all.  Hand  in  hand  they  stand  in  front  of  the 
tree,  the  light  shining  on  their  little  pinched  faces, 
and  together  repeat  the  W eihnachts-Geschichte, 
the  Bible  story  of  the  first  Christmas,  which  every 
well-brought-up  German  child,  rich  or  poor,  learns 
as  soon  as  it  can  lisp.  Sometimes,  with  much 
nervous  twisting  of  clean  pinafores,  they  even 
sing  a  carol  in  a  breathless,  desperate  kind  of  way. 
Everybody  feels  relieved  when  this  ordeal  is  safely 
over  and  the  childish  voices  with  their  nasal  twang 
have  ceased.  Then  the  Princess  tells  them  it  was 
very  nice,  and  taking  them  by  the  hand  leads  them 
up  to  the  tree  and  shows  them  the  shoes  and 
stockings  and  dresses  and  dolls,  while  the  rest  of 
us  draw  aside  and  leave  them  together  a  little. 
Almost  invariably  the  children  are  taken  into 
the  bedroom  of  the  Princess  to  try  on  the  new 
dresses  to  see  if  they  fit,  and  presently  emerge  to 
gratify  our  eyes  with  their  beauty. 

After  a  while  they  depart,  usually  carrying  the 
dolls  and  some  of  the  clothes  and  provisions,  but 
leaving  the  bulk  of  them,  including  the  tree,  to 
be  brought  next  morning  to  the  place  where  they 
live  by  the  Commissions-W agen  of  the  Palace,  which 
is  always  on  the  road  to  or  from  Potsdam  in  those 
terribly  busy  weeks.  Different  children  were,  of 
course,  invited  every  year,  and  this  pleasant  custom 
continued  until  the  Princess  was  seventeen  years 
of  age,  when  she  began  to  share  her  mother's 
charities.  In  her  earlier  days,  the  names  of  the 
children  were  of  the  greatest  interest,  and  she  was 


100     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

delighted  with  two  who  bore  the  unusual  patro- 
nymic of  Ballschuh. 

At  about  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
Christmas  Eve  takes  place  the  Bescherung  for  the 
servants  of  the  Princess,  including  the  grooms 
and  stablemen.  The  latter  come  across  the 
Mopke  in  their  neat  livery  and  follow  the  house- 
maids and  footmen,  who  enter  with  smiling  bows 
and  range  themselves  round  the  table  on  which 
stands  the  tree.  The  blinds  have  again  been 
drawn,  for  no  Christmas  Tree  can  do  itself  justice 
in  the  daylight.  The  little  plates,  eggcups  and 
Bier-gldser,  bought  with  the  pocket  money  of  the 
Princess,  each  bear  the  recipient's  name  written 
by  herself.  These  things  have  all  been  personally 
selected  from  the  shops  which,  until  the  time 
she  was  grown  up,  she  was  allowed  to  visit  only 
once  a  year,  and  the  proper  allocation  of  gifts  has 
caused  her  much  heart-searching.  She  utters 
a  sigh  of  relief  as  the  last  servant  files  out,  each 
carrying  his  present  with  the  invariably  accom- 
panying packet  of  Pfeffer-Kuchen. 

On  Christmas  Eve  the  Emperor,  as.  is  well 
known,  has  a  habit  of  walking  abroad,  his  pockets, 
or  rather  those  of  his  accompanying  adjutants, 
full  of  gold  and  silver  coin.  These  coins  he  dis- 
tributes in  a  promiscuous  manner  to  whomsoever 
he  may  chance  to  meet;  it  may  be  to  a  gardener, 
or  a  sentry  on  duty  at  the  gates,  or  a  little  school- 
boy or  girl,  or  even  an  officer  may  be  the  recipient 
of  this  Christmas  dole,  which  is  always  highly 
prized  by  those  who  chance  to  receive  it.  The 
sentry  is  prevented  by  the  regulations  from  taking 
the  coin  (usually  a  twenty-mark  piece)  when  on 


*r   he     \,^-.s    ,AcH  „  w.    "s4  %v^ 


3/ 


CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT  101 

duty,  so  it  is  generally  placed  in  the  sentry- 
box  till  guard  is  relieved.  One  Christmas  the 
Princess  was  walking  with  four  of  her  brothers 
down  the  wide  drive  of  the  Neuer  Garten,  when 
in  the  distance  they  saw  the  Emperor  approaching 
accompanied  by  his  adjutants.  Knowing  the 
errand  which  had  taken  His  Majesty  abroad, 
Prince  Fritz  laughingly  suggested  that  there 
might  be  a  chance  of  receiving  some  Christmas 
money,  so  under  his  orders  they  ranged  them- 
selves in  military  formation  beside  the  road, 
standing  at  the  salute  (at  least  the  Princes  did — 
the  ladies  merely  kept  "  eyes  front ")  as  the 
Emperor  drew  near.  He  returned  the  salute, 
but  said  in  a  gruff  voice  as  he  passed,  speaking 
in  English,  "  No,  you  won't  get  anything — all 
labour  in  vain,"  and  gave  an  emphatic  nod,  while 
the  would-be  recipients  giggled  at  each  other  and 
felt  rather  foolish. 

"  He  might  have  given  us  a  mark  each,"  com- 
plained the  Princess. 

It  was  always  notable  how  many  gardeners 
there  were  out  on  the  paths,  sweeping  invisible 
leaves  away  on  Christmas  Eve  ;  but  His  Majesty's 
selection  of  a  route  was  always  unexpected,  so 
that  there  was  little  to  be  gained  by  any  attempt 
to  guess  the  probable  course  of  his  wanderings. 

The  Bescherung  to  the  servants  took  place 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  Schilder-Saal  or  Hall 
of  Shields.  Long  tables  were  laid  down  the 
centre  of  the  room,  on  which  were  arranged  in 
due  order  everybody's  gifts.  Two  or  three  large 
Christmas  trees  were  lighted,  and  in  the  corner 
stood  the  piano  which  was  to  reinforce  our  efforts 


102     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

at  carol-singing.  In  poured  a  crowd  of  white- 
capped  housemaids,  green-clad  Jagers,  footmen, 
and  Katntner-diener  (butlers).  All  the  ladies  were 
assembled  in  decollete  evening  dress,  and  those 
who  had  undertaken  to  help  in  singing  carols 
were  beginning  to  tremble,  especially  when  the 
leading  soprano  whispered  that  she  had  a  slight 
sore  throat  and  couldn't  sing  a  note. 

Then  the  Empress,  also  in  evening  dress,  arrived 
with  the  Princess  and  the  princes  in  full  uniform, 
including,  until  his  marriage,  the  Crown  Prince ; 
and  the  choir  timidly  sung  the  first  carol,  which 
always  sounded  a  little  thin  and  chirpy  in  that 
large  room.  It  was  listened  to  with  the  greatest 
respect,  if  not  pleasure,  and  then  another  was  sung 
at  the  request  of  the  Empress,  while  everybody 
stood  patiently  waiting  till  it  was  finished.  Her 
Majesty  then  walked  round  and  showed  every- 
body their  presents,  which  consisted  of  dress- 
pieces,  counterpanes,  curtains,  clocks,  etc.  She 
began  with  the  housekeeper,  and  as  year  after 
year  the  tables  were  arranged  in  the  same  order, 
the  whole  ceremony,  if  it  could  be  called  ceremony 
where  everything  was  so  simple  and  kindly,  was 
soon  at  an  end,  and  they  all  trooped  away  with 
their  cutlery,  silver,  pictures  and  photographs — 
leaving  nothing  behind  but  the  bare  tables  with 
their  white  cloths  and  the  Christmas  trees. 

Then,  after  a  short  pause,  a  general  move  was 
made  to  the  apartment  of  the  Empress,  where 
carols  were  to  be  sung  for  the  delectation  of  His 
Majesty.  There  was  the  last  almost  acrimonious 
dispute  as  to  whether  they  should  be  sung 
with  or  without  accompaniment,  ending,  as  was 


CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT  103 

confidently  expected,  in  favour  of  the  moral 
support  afforded  by  the  piano.  One  lady  is 
warned  about  her  E,  which  is  inclined  to  be  a 
little  flat,  and  the  question  hurriedly  discussed 
as  to  whether  somebody  who  has  been  singing 
seconds  had  not  better  join  the  trebles  weakened 
by  incipient  colds.  Nothing  is  settled  when  the 
door  from  the  next  room  opens  and  His  Majesty 
steps  in,  bows,  and  stands  in  an  attitude  of  atten- 
tion not  unmixed  with  boredom  which  makes 
everybody's  blood  run  cold. 

The  Hof-Predtger's  face  wears  a  look  of  concen- 
trated anxiety  and  apprehension  as  he  counts  the 
first  bar  and  plunges  into  the  accompaniment. 
The  top  E  is  safely  passed — not  perhaps  quite 
exact  as  to  pitch,  but  not  so  very  bad— the 
adjutants  are  booming  their  tenor  and  bass 
with  praiseworthy  conscientiousness  if  little  skill, 
and  we  settle  down  to  verses  two  and  three 
with  renewed  confidence.  The  second  high  E 
is  on  the  down  grade,  and  the  third  one  almost 
painful,  but  as  soon  as  the  last  note  has  died 
away  the  Princess  and  Prince  Joachim  both 
together  begin  feverishly  to  recite  the  Weihnachts- 
Geschichte,  which  it  is  customary  for  every 
Prussian  prince  and  princess  to  repeat  yearly  from 
the  age  of  six  until  Confirmation. 

When  they  have  got  half-way  through,  "  Stille 
Nacht ' '  is  sung,  and  then  they  finish  the  Christmas 
story  to  the  end,  and  a  third  carol  is  performed ; 
all  hoping  that  it  didn't  really  sound  as  bad  as 
it  seemed  to  do. 

Sometimes  His  Majesty  takes  hold  of  a  hymn- 
book  and  sings  with  the  rest;   while,  since  their 


104     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

marriage,  the  Crown  Prince  and  Princess  are 
accustomed  to  join  in  the  music,  and  everyone 
feels  that  this  attempted  harmony  is  "  sehr  nett" 
if  not  particularly  brilliant. 

Then  all  file  in  to  dinner  at  the  impossible 
hour  of  four  o'clock.  It  is  given  thus  early  so 
that  the  numerous  guests  may  still  be  in  time 
for  their  own  private  festivities  at  home.  All 
the  Emperor's  old  adjutants  and  court  officials 
are  invited,  and  assemble  in  the  big  salons  near 
the  Jasper  Gallery,  in  which  dinner  is  served  at  a 
series  of  small  round  or  oval  tables.  Monster  carp 
are  brought  round  boiled  in  ale,  looking  plethoric 
and  porpoise-like,  and  the  meal  winds  up  with 
English  plum-pudding  and  mince-pies  served  with 
naming  brandy  sauce.  The  German  gentlemen 
are  not  at  all  fond  of  plum-pudding — they  think 
it  horrible  stuff ;  but  they  like  the  mince-pies, 
especially  the  brandy-sauce  part. 

As  soon  as  dinner  is  finished,  the  Emperor  gives  a 
signal,  the  doors  into  the  Muschel-Saal  are  thrown 
open,  and  all  walk  through  into  the  Christmas 
brilliancy.  The  whole  row  of  lighted  trees  ranged 
the  length  of  the  immense  hall  shed  that  clear 
yet  soft  subdued  light  of  multitudinous  wax 
tapers  which  is  more  beautiful  than  any  other. 
Electricity  has  been  installed  in  the  Muschel- 
Saal  within  the  last  few  years,  and  much  of 
the  old  glamour  of  the  scene  has  departed — the 
candles  burn  palely,  they  have  lost  some  of  the 
old  warmth  and  glow,  the  green  of  the  foliage 
has  become  faded. 

Round  the  Saal,  tables  are  arranged  as  at  a 
bazaar,  and  each  lady  has  one  to  herself  loaded 


CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT  105 

with  presents.  The  Emperor  sometimes  walks 
round  and  shows  his  own  gift,  usually  a  very 
beautiful  fur,  where  it  lies  on  each  person's  table ; 
but  one  of  the  great  charms  of  His  Majesty  is 
that  he  has  no  stereotyped  line  of  conduct — if  he 
doesn't  feel  like  walking  round  and  making  him- 
self agreeable  he  doesn't  do  it.  He  is  no  slave 
to  precedent.  So  then  we  find  his  present  on 
our  tables  by  ourselves,  and  go  up  and  curtsey 
and  thank  him  as  opportunity  offers.  The  Em- 
press has  alwa}Ts  given  one  principal  present,  the 
nature  of  which  each  recipient  has  herself  chosen ; 
and  in  addition  scatters  with  liberal  hand  small 
additional  trifles  such  as  workbags,  pincushions, 
books,  small  articles  of  j  e wellery .  All  the  adj  ut ants 
and  generals  receive  something  handsome  and  sub- 
stantial :  one  has  a  Turkey  rug,  another  a  bronze 
bust  of  the  Emperor,  a  third  a  pair  of  silver 
candelabra.  But  whatever  else  they  get,  a  large 
plate  of  nuts,  cakes  and  chocolates  accompanies 
each  table — and  those  gentlemen  who  have  to 
return  to  Berlin  early  may  presently  be  seen, 
aided  by  footmen,  pouring  their  nuts  and  ginger- 
bread into  large  brown-paper  bags,  which  they 
carry  away  under  one  arm,  for  all  the  world 
like  children  from  a  Sunday-school  treat.  This 
procession  of  grey-haired  generals  and  officers  in 
uniform  going  off  like  schoolboys  with  their  booty 
seems  to  afford  the  Emperor  much  pleasure. 

The  tables  of  the  Empress  and  Emperor  are 
covered  with  offerings  from  their  relatives  in 
England  and  elsewhere ;  but  the  chief  interest  is 
in  the  presents  to  the  Princess.  When  she  reached 
her  twelfth  year,  on  her  Christmas  table  appeared 


106      MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

the  plans  of  a  tiny  Bauern-Haus,  the  gift  of 
her  father.  It  was  built  the  following  spring  in 
the  children's  garden — a  real  peasant's  wooden 
kitchen,  with  a  real  stove  and  saucepans  where 
cooking  and  washing  may  be  done.  It  had 
bottle-glass  windows  and  half-doors  with  bottle- 
glass  in  the  upper  portions.  There  was  a  larder 
with  a  buttery-hatch,  and  it  speedily  became 
the  scene  of  fearsome  cookery  experiments  in- 
volving lavish  outlay  in  eggs  and  milk.  Here 
was  dispensed  much  hospitality  to  all  classes  of 
visitors. 

Another  Christmas  she  received  from  the 
Emperor  a  pony-cart,  to  replace  the  blue-lined 
Turkish  victoria  of  the  Sultan,  which  was  now 
deemed  too  childish  and  theatrical  in  appearance. 
The  ponies  were  promoted  to  a  workmanlike  little 
vehicle  of  light-coloured  ash,  capable  of  holding, 
at  a  pinch,  six  persons ;  and  it  remained  the  chief 
medium  of  transport  until  after  the  Emperor's 
visit  to  Highcliffe,  near  Bournemouth,  when  he 
brought  back  with  him  a  beautiful  little  New 
Forest  pony  and  "  tub,"  which  completely 
eclipsed  Ali  and  Aladdin,  who  were  given  away 
to  a  friend  in  the  country.  Perhaps,  however, 
the  most  charming  of  all  the  Christmas  presents 
which  the  Emperor  gave  his  daughter  was  a 
most  beautiful  little  Arab  mare  called  "  Irene." 
She  was  brought  from  the  stables  at  the  time 
of  the  Bescherung  and  led  up  the  terrace  steps 
into  the  big  hall  in  front  of  the  Muschel-Saal, 
where  she  stood  gazing  round  in  her  well-bred 
gentle  manner  at  all  the  ladies  in  their  evening 
finery  and   the   brilliant   uniforms   that   crowded 


CHRISTMAS   AT   COURT  107 

round  her.  She  looked  at  them  out  of  her  beauti- 
ful eyes  with  a  fearless,  rather  disdainful,  air,  and 
the  lights  of  the  many  candles  shone  on  the  satin 
of  her  bright  strawberry  coat — for  she  was  a 
wonderfully-coloured  red-roan  of  an  unusual 
tone.  She  had  all  the  marvellous  dignity  of 
poise  and  light  springy  footsteps  of  her  race, 
and  had  been  highly  trained  and  schooled  in  the 
"  Spanish  trot,"  "  passaging,"  and  other  riding- 
school  attainments,  while  her  action  across  country 
was,  as  the  Princess  said  when  someone  called  it 
poetry,  "  almost  a  love-song  in  sixteen  verses." 

Unfortunately  a  year  or  two  after  her  entrance 
into  the  stables  she  was  seized  with  influenza, 
and  died  in  spite  of  all  efforts  to  save  her. 

Towards  six  o'clock  the  household,  one  by  one, 
slips  away,  and  leaves  the  Imperial  Family  alone 
to  spend  the  rest  of  the  evening  in  each  other's 
society.  Every  year  from  Christmas  to  New 
Year's  Day  the  Muschel-Saal,  especially  in  the 
evenings,  is  the  family  rendezvous.  As  soon  as 
it  is  dark  the  Christmas  trees  are  lighted  and 
tea  and  supper  are  taken  under  the  shadow  of 
their  branches.  The  Emperor  sits  at  a  table 
writing  his  New  Year  cards  or  reading,  sometimes 
aloud,  sometimes  to  himself  ;  everybody  is  busy 
examining  and  comparing  presents  or  writing 
letters  of  thanks. 

Christmas  Day  itself  is  passed  very  quietly, 
the  luncheon  strictly  en  famille,  with  none  even 
of  the  suite  present.  As  many  (as  can  be  spared) 
of  the  married  servantsvare  sent  home,  to  be  at 
least  a  part  of  the  day  with  their  families.  Every 
possible  consideration  is  shown,  so  that  not  the 


108     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

humblest  worker  is  deprived  of  a  share  of  leisure 
and  opportunity  to  visit  his  friends. 

One  Christmas  the  Emperor  was  in  a  very 
"  anecdotal "  mood,  and  chatted  for  some  time 
to  his  suite,  telling  many  amusing  traits  of  the 
late  Duke  of  Cambridge — "Uncle  George"  as  he 
called  him. 

His  Majesty  mentioned  the  well-known  fact 
that  "  Uncle  George"  was  one  of  the  hard-swear- 
ing military  type,  now — it  is  said — practically 
extinct,  and  scattered  volleys  of  oaths  abroad 
at  the  slightest  excuse ;  but  somebody  having 
once  drawn  attention  to  the  great  prevalence 
of  "  language  "  in  the  army,  he,  quite  unconscious 
of  his  own  shortcomings,  set  himself  to  reform 
the  great  organization  of  which  at  that  time  he 
was  Commander-in-Chief.  After  a  long  harangue 
to  the  assembled  officers,  plentifully  belarded  with 
oaths,  he  concluded  by  saying  :  "I'm  damned 
if  I'll  allow  this  habit  of  swearing  to  go  on  :  who 
the  devil  ever  heard  me  swear  ?  " 

Once  he  had  planned  to  show  to  the  German 
Emperor  and  the  King  of  Greece,  who  were  together 
in  England,  some  pet  improvements  in  drill 
which  he  had  recently  introduced,  and  of  which 
he  was  extremely  proud.  After  they  had  been 
feasted  "  right  royally "  at  the  officers'  mess, 
where  plenty  of  champagne  was  consumed,  the 
Royalties  all  mounted  their  horses  and  pro- 
ceeded to  Woolwich  Common  for  the  purpose  of 
beholding  the  proposed  exercises.  But  unfortu- 
nately the  Duke  had  forgotten  to  take  into  account 
the  fact  that  the  day  was  Bank  Holiday,  and  to 
his  disgust  and  astonishment  found  his  beloved 


CHRISTMAS    AT   COURT  109 

common  black  with  "  trippers  "  ("fifty  thousand 
of  'em,"  sniggered  the  Emperor).  The  Duke  was 
nearly  suffocated  with  rage  and  disgust,  and 
ordered  the  escort  (eighteen  mounted  Hussars) 
to  charge  and  disperse  the  people.  The  impos- 
sibility of  this  being,  however,  demonstrated,  he 
himself  proceeded  on  his  great  raw-boned  charger 
to  harangue  the  multitude,  damning  their  bodies 
and  souls  with  the  greatest  impartiality,  and 
vainly  trying  to  inspire  them  with  a  sense  of  the 
enormity  of  choosing  this  particular  day  for 
their  sportive  gambols  on  the  Common. 

When  he  at  last  stopped,  as  the  Emperor  put 
it  "  for  want  of  wind,"  a  dead  silence  fell  for  a 
moment  on  the  astonished  crowd,  who  were  ex- 
pected to  melt  sadly  away  ;  but  suddenly  a  British 
workman  standing  near,  equal — as  British  work- 
men generally  are — to  the  occasion,  took  off  his 
cap  and  waving  it  in  the  air  cried  out  "  Three 
cheers  for  'is  R'yl  'Ighness  the  Dook  o'  Cam- 
bridge," which  three  cheers  were  immediately 
given  with  the  greatest  spontaneity  and  good- 
will, the  crowd  seeming  to  enjoy  being  abused 
by  Royalty.  But,  as  the  Duke  himself  afterwards 
sadly  observed,  "They  didn't  budge  an  inch, 
Sire,  not  an  inch.  They  stopped  there  all  the 
same."  So  the  proposed  military  evolutions  did 
not  take  place  that  day,  and  had  to  be  postponed 
to  a  more  convenient  season. 


CHAPTER    VI 

BERLIN    SCHLOSS 

THE  Prussian  Court  is  awakened  on  New 
Year's  Day  by  the  sound  of  trumpets 
blaring  forth  old  German  chorales  as  the 
band  of  the  regiment  in  garrison  slowly  marches 
round  the  whole  palace  playing  solemn  and  stately 
music. 

The  previous  evening,  or  somewhere  in  the 
small  hours,  in  the  society  of  a  few  intimate 
friends,  everybody  has  partaken  of  Pfanne-kuchen 
— a  sort  of  round  dough-nut — and  Punch,  a 
comparatively  harmless  German  variety  of  that 
insidious  beverage,  but  still  not  to  be  drunk 
lightly  and  unadvisedly  if  you  would  avoid  a  next 
morning's  headache. 

It  is  customary  also  to  send  pictorial  postcards 
inscribed  with  New  Year  greetings  to  all  acquaint- 
ances in  the  palace.  Footmen  are  constantly 
arriving  from  the  princes  with  these  small  offer- 
ings, which  usually  have  some  reference  to  the 
recipient's  peculiar  idiosyncrasies.  One  New 
Year's  Eve,  having  retired  earlier  than  the  occa- 
sion warranted,  I  was  awakened  from  my  first 
pleasant  dreams  by  an  urgent  rapping  on  the 
outside  of  the  double  doors  which  shut  off  my 
bedroom  from  the  outside  world,  and  a  masculine 

no 


BERLIN   SCHLOSS  111 

voice  responded  to  my  startled  inquiry,  saying 
that  he  had  something  to  deliver  to  me  from 
His  Majesty;  so  hastily  rising  and  huddling  on  a 
dressing-gown  I  hastened  to  receive  from  a  Jager 
an  envelope  bearing  the  imperial  cipher,  which 
contained  a  picture-postcard  of  the  "  Hohen- 
zollern"  inscribed  in  his  own  handwriting  with 
the  New  Year  wishes  of  the  Emperor. 

Breakfast  is  a  hasty  and  early  function  on  the 
first  day  of  the  year,  for  at  eight  o'clock  the  royal 
special  train  containing  the  whole  of  the  Imperial 
Family  and  the  suite,  footmen  and  maids  in  attend- 
ance, are  off  to  Berlin  for  the  Gratulations-Cour , 
when  all  the  foreign  ambassadors  in  their  State 
carriages  surmounted  by  bewigged  coachmen  and 
footmen  in  bright  red,  blue,  or  yellow  uniforms 
drive  from  their  respective  Embassies  to  wish 
His  Majesty  the  usual  compliments  of  the  season. 
Christmas  is  essentially  a  private  family  festival, 
but  the  New  Year  is  ushered  in  with  much  public 
ceremony. 

Joyous  crowds  line  Unter  den  Linden  to  watch 
the  pageant  pass  ;  all  the  shops  are  closed  and 
an  air  of  hilarious  festivity  pervades  the  streets. 
A  constant  stream  of  vehicles,  many  of  them  of 
the  rather  shabby  horse-droschky  type — for  few 
residents  of  the  German  capital  keep  their  own 
carriages — are  converging  towards  the  Schloss,  all 
containing  officers  in  full  uniform,  or  functionaries 
of  various  departments  bent  on  the  same  errand. 

It  is  a  big,  square,  rather  ugly  grey  pile  of 
buildings,  the  old  Berlin  Schloss,  standing  straight 
on  to  the  street  on  all  sides  but  one,  where  it 
is  skirted  by  the  narrow  river  Spree.     Inside  is 


112     MEMORIES    OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

a  rather  gloomy,  sunless  court-yard,  paved  with 
cobble-stones,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  statue 
of  St.  George  and  the  Dragon,  the  latter  curling 
uncomfortably  round  the  hoofs  of  St.  George's 
horse,  an  estimable  quadruped  which,  instead  of 
shying,  as  our  ordinary  experience  of  horses  would 
lead  us  to  think  that  it  should  do,  gallantly  aids 
its  master's  spear- thrust  by  dancing  a  kind  of 
tango  on  the  dragon's  vitals. 

Along  one  side  of  this  court-yard,  situated  in 
the  basement  of  the  Schloss  itself,  close  to  and 
on  a  line  with  the  Hohenzollern  Treppe,  the  recog- 
nized door  of  arrival  for  the  Empress  and  her 
children  as  well  as  for  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of 
the  suite,  are  the  barracks  for  the  Schloss  Guard. 
While  the  Court  is  in  residence  the  guard  spends 
its  time  in  perpetual  rushes  and  drummings,  for 
no  princely  personage  can  arrive  or  depart  without 
that  long  line  of  soldiers  presenting  arms  to  the 
throbbing  drum-beat  accompaniment.  It  sounds 
intermittently  from  early  morning  till  late  at  night : 
the  constant  rapid  beat  of  feet  on  the  cobble- 
stones as  the  soldiers  snatch  their  arms  and  fall 
into  line,  the  silence,  the  military  command,  and 
then  the  long  continuous  rumble,  while  the  royal 
or  princely  personage  of  whatever  size  or  age, 
descends  from  his  or  her  carriage,  salutes,  and 
disappears  into  the  Schloss  up  the  very  plain 
and  simple  stairway  leading  to  the  apartments 
of  the  Royal  Family.  All  coachmen  when  driving 
royalty  wear  a  broad  hatband  embroidered  with 
the  Prussian  Eagle — what  is  called  a  Breite-Tresse 
— which  can  be  easily  removed  if  necessary,  leaving 
uncovered  the  plain  silver  band  which  denotes  the 


BERLIN    SCHLOSS  118 

presence  of  only  obscure  individuals  who  are 
spared  the  more  onerous  honours. 

A  deep  archway  leads  from  the  large  court- 
yard into  a  smaller,  more  secluded  one,  where  is 
the  entrance  to  the  staircase  which  the  Emperor 
uses.  On  each  side  of  the  large  "Hof"  are 
big,  heavy,  iron  gates  kept  by  soldiers,  who  all 
day  long  close  and  open  them  to  the  passing 
carriages  and  other  traffic. 

On  New  Year's  morning  the  courtyard  is  per- 
vaded by  footmen  in  gay  uniforms  with  very 
chilly-looking  pink  silk  legs,  who  pick  their  way 
gingerly  over  the  round  cobble-stones,  hastening 
here  and  there  in  a  very  busy  preoccupied 
manner. 

Before  the  Gratulations-Cour  takes  place,  a 
service  is  held  in  the  chapel  of  the  Schloss,  at 
which  all  the  ambassadors,  consuls  and  other 
diplomatic  officials  are  present  in  uniform.  They 
usually  spend  the  time  before  the  entrance  of 
the  royalties  in  wandering  about  and  chatting 
with  each  other,  till  some  one  gives  a  warning 
tap  on  the  marble  floor,  and  the  hum  sinks  into 
silence,  broken  by  the  music  of  the  band  stationed 
in  the  gallery  above,  for  the  chapel  has  no  organ. 

In  the  evening  a  special  performance  is  given 
at  the  Opera,  at  which  the  whole  Royal  Family 
appears  ;  and  sometimes  the  Court  returns  next 
day  to  the  New  Palace,  but  more  often  remains 
in  Berlin  for  the  season,  which  practically  begins 
with  the  Emperor's  birthday  on  January  27. 

One  quaint  ceremony  connected  with  New 
Year's  Day  is  the  presentation  to  the  Emperor, 
as  he  sits  at  table,  of  sausages  and  hard-boiled 


114     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

eggs  by  the   "  Halloren,"  a  guild  of   salt-workers 
living    in   Saxony,  "possessing    peculiar    customs, 
privileges  and  dress.    It  was  the  Princess  who  first 
introduced  the  "  Halloren  sausage  "  to  my  notice, 
for  on  the  second  or  third  day  of  the  year,  when 
the  Court  had  returned  to  the  New  Palace,  she 
burst  into  my  room  one  morning  with  a  very 
small  sandwich — German  sandwiches  have  bread 
on  only  one  side  of  them — made  of  an  extremely 
thin  and  delicate  piece  of   pink    sausage,    which 
she  presented  to  me  with  pride  as  a  portion  of 
her  "  Halloren  sausage."     I  was  expected  to  eat  it 
with  great  solemnity  and  a  due  appreciation  of 
its  marvellous  merits,  and  I  conscientiously  tried 
to  praise  it,  and  declare  that  there  was  a  "  name- 
less something  "  about  the  flavour  which  marked 
it  out  from  all  other  sausages.     I  subsequently 
discovered  that  it  was  a  rare  and  special  and  not- 
to-be-repeated  favour  to  share  even  the  smallest 
piece  of  this  wonderful  delicacy.     Every  day  this 
sausage  appeared  at   breakfast    and   the   eleven- 
o'clock  lunch,  but  no  one  was  then  allowed  to 
partake  of  it,  with  the  exception  of  the  Princess 
herself,  and  when  a  few  days  later  we  all  went  to 
Berlin  for  the  rest  of  the  winter  the  "  Halloren 
sausage,"  now  sadly  shrunk,  was  the  one  piece 
of  luggage  which  the  Princess  insisted  on  taking 
in    her    own   charge,   carrying   it   carefully  in  a 
small  black  leather  bag,  and  refusing  to  trust  it 
to  her  footman,  who  she  was  convinced  would 
leave  it  in  the  train  or  perhaps  get  it  crushed 
or  lost. 

Life  in  Berlin  Schloss  was  very  different  to  that 
in  the  New  Palace.     Every  morning  when  lessons 


BERLIN   SCHLOSS  115 

began  again— the  Christmas  holidays  are  only 
ten  days  long  in  German  schools—  the  Princess  had 
to  drive  away  with  her  lady  at  twenty  minutes 
to  eight  to  Bellevue  Schloss,  at  the  other  side 
of  the  Tier-Garten,  where  her  tutor  attended 
from  eight  o'clock  till  twelve. 

Bellevue  is  one  of  those  plain,  unpretentious 
palaces  which  were  built  in  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  has  the  advantage  of  a 
fine  large  garden  full  of  grass  and  trees.  Dotted 
about  in  the  grounds  are  various  small  monu- 
ments and  memorial  stones  inscribed  with  the 
names  of  dead-and-gone  Princes  and  Princesses 
of  the  Royal  House.  Sometimes  these  stones 
break  out  into  poetry  of  a  sentimental  kind, 
always  in  the  French  language,  often  celebrating 
the  marvellous  virtues  of  "  Helene "  or  "  Fer- 
dinand." Whatever  happened,  the  affections  of 
this  particular  family — belonging,  I  think,  to  a 
nephew  of  Frederick  the  Great— had  to  find  an 
outlet  in  stonework.  Every  possible  anniversary 
was  commemorated,  and  even  the  death  of  a 
favourite  Kammer-herr  was  left  recorded  for 
the  benefit  of  future  generations.  The  ivy  has 
crept  over  these  memorials  of  a  bygone  day, 
and  in  some  cases  has  entirely  obliterated  the 
lettering.  In  others  the  frost  and  rain  are  by 
slow  degrees  accomplishing  the  same  work.  It  is 
with  difficulty  that  one  can  trace  the  crumbling 
letters. 

In  the  mornings  the  Ober-Gouvernante  took 
"  Dienst "  in  Bellevue,  returning  at  one  o'clock  with 
the  Princess  to  the  Schloss  for  luncheon,  which 
was  served  in  the  tiny  little  dining-room  of  the 


116    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Princess's  apartments,  whose  walls  were  made 
entirely  of  mirrors  bordered  by  wreaths  of  painted 
flowers.  At  half-past  two  the  carriage  was  ordered 
again  to  drive  to  Bellevue,  where  a  few  children 
were  invited  to  spend  the  afternoon.  That  daily 
drive  along  the  crowded  streets  was  somewhat 
of  an  ordeal,  for  all  along  the  route  people  were 
saluting  and  curtseying  and  rushing  up  in  the 
enthusiastic  German  manner  to  wave  pocket-hand- 
kerchiefs. Sometimes,  if  the  Princess  happened 
to  be  in  a  naughty  mood  and  wished  to  converse 
undisturbed  with  her  little  friends,  she  would 
nod  slowly  backwards  and  forwards  like  a  Chinese 
porcelain  figure,  regardless  if  any  one  was  bowing 
to  her  or  not ;  but  as  somebody  usually  was,  it 
did  not  appear  so  strange  as  it  otherwise  might 
have  done. 

In  Bellevue  garden  itself  was  a  kind  of  earth- 
work called  "Die  Festung,"  made  by  the  elder 
Princes  with  the  aid  of  their  uncle  Prince  Henry, 
and  this  was  the  usual  scene  of  the  afternoon's 
play. 

In  frosty  weather  part  of  the  Park  was  flooded, 
and  here  the  time  was  spent  in  skating  and  playing 
on  the  ice,  but  when  the  frost  broke  up  again  the 
dirt  in  the  grounds  was  terrible  and  the  walks 
ankle-deep  in  sludge. 

The  Emperor  and  Empress  invariably  came  to 
the  Park  in  the  afternoons,  and  it  was  embarrassing 
to  meet  them  with  shoes  and  dress  plastered  with 
dirt ;  but  as  the  children  liked  best  to  play  at 
something  which  was  rather  dishevelling,  such 
as  dragging  the  gardener's  cart  up  on  to  a  hillock 
through  thick  bushes,  or  along  the  wettest  and 


BERLIN   SCHLOSS  117 

dirtiest  paths,  it  was  difficult  to  preserve  that 
immaculate  appearance  which  one  would  desire 
to  have  in  the  presence  of  royalty.  An  old 
carpenter,  named  Fasel,  had  worked  for  many 
years  in  Bellevue  Garden,  and  his  shop  was  a 
constant  centre  of  interest  to  the  Princess,  who 
liked  to  have  a  chat  with  him  nearly  every  day. 
He  used  to  make  the  children  bows  and  arrows 
and  tell  them  long  stories  of  his  Wander-Jahre, 
when  he  was  an  apprentice  and  walked  from  one 
end  of  Germany  to  the  other,  working  his  way 
along  into  Austria. 

In  January  two  other  festivals  broke  into 
lessons,  before  they  were  well  re-started.  One  was 
the  anniversary  of  the  Accession  of  the  Emperor — 
Kronungs-Tag  as  it  is  called — when  there  is  again 
a  series  of  tedious  ceremonies  at  which  the  whole 
family  is  present.  These  begin  with  a  service  in 
chapel  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  which, 
until  a  few  years  ago,  all  the  ladies  were  obliged 
to  appear  in  Court  dress  with  long  trains,  those 
of  royal  birth  having  theirs  carried  by  pages  in 
red.  For  these  functions  tickets  were  issued 
for  the  gallery  high  up  in  the  dome  of  the  chapel, 
and  given  to  anyone  connected  with  the  Court.  It 
was  no  light  task  first  to  climb  up  the  interminable 
steps  of  the  winding-stair  which  leads  to  this 
coign  of  vantage,  where  no  seats  are  allowed,  and 
when  there  to  endure  the  suffocating  crush  and 
atmosphere.  The  humours  of  the  crowd  happily 
relieve  to  a  certain  extent  the  tedium  of  waiting 
— for  the  lady  who  has  received  a  ticket  through 
the  agency  of  an  Ambassador  thinks  that,  however 
late  she  appears,  she  has  a  right  to  a  place  in 


118     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

the  front  row,  while  the  footman's  wife,  who  is 
already  there,  refuses  to  recognize  social  superi- 
ority except  in  her  own  case,  which  allows  her 
precedence  over  a  mere  waiting-maid.  Occa- 
sionally people  faint,  for  the  heat  and  standing 
combined  are  trying  to  weak  constitutions  ;  but 
if  one  can  get  to  the  front  of  the  gallery,  and  is 
able  to  support  the  proximity  of  the  band  and 
the  weight  of  the  people  behind  who  hang 
heavily  over  one's  shoulders,  there  is  a  good  view 
to  be  had  of  the  whole  scene — which,  however, 
since  Court  dresses  were  done  away  with  by  the 
Emperor's  order,  has  been  shorn  of  much  of  its 
picturesque  stateliness. 

A  few  days  afterwards  comes  the  anniversary  of 
His  Majesty's  birthday,  which  is  kept  with  great 
zeal  and  earnestness  from  early  morning  until 
night.  It  begins  with  congratulations  at  9.30 
for  the  household  only.  On  tables  arranged 
round  one  of  the  smaller  salons  are  spread  out  the 
various  gifts  received  from  family  and  friends.  In 
her  childish  days  the  Princess's  present  was  always 
a  source  of  anxiety.  Sometimes  it  took  the  form 
of  a  blotting-book,  the  cover  worked  or  painted 
by  herself,  or  a  photograph  frame,  or  perhaps  a 
sketch  of  her  own,  something  costing  little  except- 
ing the  expenditure  of  time  and  patience.  The 
Emperor  was  always  very  pleased  with  his 
daughter's  gift — he  valued  it  more  than  the  silver 
statuettes,  the  oil-paintings,  jewelled  cigarette- 
cases  and  costly  things  lavished  on  him  by  the 
other  members  of  his  family. 

On  the  evening  of  the  birthday  there  is  the 
usual  performance  at  the  Opera,  where  the  audience 


BERLIN   SCHLOSS  119 

is  composed  only  of  those  officially  invited,  and  the 
house  is  garlanded  and  scented.    On  one  birthday, 
however,  for  some  reason  an  evening  concert  in 
the  Schloss  itself  took  the  place  of  the  Opera.     It 
was  held  in  the  beautiful   Weisser  Saal,   and   I 
listened  to  it  from  one  of  the  little  Loge,  or  boxes, 
of  which  there  are  two  set  into  the  wall.     This 
occasion   was   especially   memorable   on   account 
of  two  rather  startling  incidents  which  happened 
during    the    progress    of    the    concert.     Several 
soloists  sang,  and  there  was  a  large  band  of  string 
and    wind  instruments.     During   the  playing    of 
an  orchestral  piece,  a  door  opened  in  the  empty 
musicians'  gallery,  which  ran  across  the  Saal  at 
right  angles  to  the  box  where  I  was  sitting,  and 
I  was  startled  to  see  a  man  enter  on  hands  and 
knees  and  creep  slowly  and  stealthily  along  the 
floor    across    to    the    opposite    side.     Following 
him  a  few  paces  behind,   in  the  same  stealthy 
manner,   came    a   fat,   unwieldy  woman.      They 
were  distinctly  visible  through  the  white  marble 
balustrades    as   they   moved    slowly    along,    the 
woman  getting  into  constant  difficulties  with  her 
skirt,  which  much  impeded  her  progress.     Could 
this  perhaps  be  the  preliminary  to  an  Anarchist 
bomb  ?  was  the  first  thought  which  crossed  my 
mind.     The    rotundity    of    the    woman    was    re- 
assuring.    She  did  not  look  to  be  of  the  stuff  of 
which    conspirators   are   made,    but   nevertheless 
her    movements    were    decidedly    suspicious.      I 
touched  the  hand  of  the  lady  with  me,  who  had 
long  been  attached  to  the  Court.     She  had  not 
yet  seen  the  two  grovellers  on  the  empty  gallery 
floor.     I  nodded  in  their  direction.     She  started 


120     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

when  she  caught  sight  of  them,  and  an  angry 
flush  of  indignation  overspread  her  face.  She 
whispered  to  me  that  they  were  the  wife  and  son 
of  a  Kastellan,  one  of  the  officials  who  have  certain 
portions  of  the  Schloss  under  their  charge.  They 
had  chosen  this  extraordinary  manner  of  seeing 
and  hearing  something  of  the  festivities — very 
foolishly,  as  it  proved,  for  the  Emperor  himself 
perceived  them  and  sent  to  make  inquiries,  with 
the  result  that  the  unfortunate  husband  and 
father  of  the  guilty  pair  as  nearly  as  possible  lost 
his  comfortable  position  as  Kastellan,  while  the 
son — a  young  man  old  enough  to  know  better — 
was  severely  punished,  and  the  wife  fell  into 
disgrace  and  was  for  a  long  time  looked  at  askance 
by  her  colleagues  in  the  castle. 

At  the  same  concert,  one  of  the  chorus-singers 
went  out  of  his  mind.  At  all  State  concerts  there 
is  a  long  interval  in  the  middle,  when  the  Emperor 
and  Empress  move  round  among  the  invited 
guests,  chatting  to  each  in  turn.  Not  till  His 
Majesty  commands  is  the  signal  given  by  a  gentle 
roll  on  the  drum  for  the  concert  to  recommence. 
On  this  occasion,  after  a  very  short  interval 
indeed,  the  drum  was  heard  and  everybody  hurried 
back  in  some  surprise  to  the  red  velvet  chairs, 
from  which  they  had  risen  to  wander  about  and 
talk. 

The  Emperor  knew  that  "  some  one  had  blun- 
dered," as  he  had  given  no  order  to  continue; 
but  perhaps  not  unwilling  to  have  the  proceedings 
curtailed,  he  let  the  mistake  pass,  and  shortly 
afterwards  returned  to  his  place  beside  the  Em- 
press.    But  the  person  who  had  given  the  signal 


BERLIN    SCHLOSS  121 

was  a  singer  of  the  chorus,  who  for  some  time 
had  been  giving  his  friends  cause  for  uneasiness. 
After  drumming  energetically  for  several  minutes 
he  fled  from  the  Schloss,  pursued  by  one  of  the 
pink-stockinged  footmen  as  far  as  the  court-yard 
gates,  where  the  unfortunate  man  escaped  in  the 
darkness  into  the  crowd  of  the  street. 

The  birthday  of  the  Empress,  which  occurs  in 
November,  was  always  celebrated  at  the  New 
Palace.  The  most  striking  among  her  presents 
were  the  dozen  hats  given  by  His  Majesty,  in- 
variably chosen  by  himself.  They  were  arranged 
on  stands  on  the  billiard-table  of  the  room  where 
the  "  birthday-table  "  was  erected — a  table  beau- 
tifully enwreathed  and  garlanded  by  autumn 
leaves,  intermixed  with  fruits,  bunches  of  tiny 
red  crab-apples,  clusters  of  green  and  black 
grapes,  small  melons  and  gourds.  It  is  a  perilous 
business  for  any  man  to  set  out  to  buy  a  dozen 
hats  for  his  wife  without  consulting  her  tastes 
and  wishes  on  the  subject,  but  the  German 
Emperor  is  not  a  man  to  recoil  from  even  such 
an  enterprise.  Though  the  hats  were  always  very 
beautiful,  and  obviously  the  most  expensive  of 
their  kind,  they  always  raised,  I  found,  certain 
doubts  and  queries  in  the  mind  of  the  feminine 
observer. 

Does  any  woman  in  the  world,  be  she  ever  so 
much  an  Empress,  really  desire  to  have  hats 
thrust  on  her  by  the  dozen  without  any 
"trying  on"  or  any  of  that  delicious  hovering 
between  two  decisions  which  makes  hat-buying  so 
thrillingly  charming — above  all,  without  reference 
to  the  costume  with  which  the  head-gear  must 


122    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

be  worn,  whereof  it  should  be  the  fitting  corollary 
and  completion  ? 

The  ordinary  masculine  mind  is  not  sufficiently 
subtle  to  number  among  its  greatest  achievements 
the  purchase  of  successful  feminine  millinery ; 
even  an  Emperor  ought  to  realize  the  limits 
of  his  sphere  of  activity.  But  William  never 
did.  Every  year,  year  after  year,  there  were 
the  dozen  hats,  all  much  of  the  same  type,  all 
be-feathered,  be-ribboned,  be-decked  with  tulle 
or  chiffon  or  embroidery,  whichever  happened 
to  be  uppermost  in  the  scheme  of  fashion.  The 
Emperor  enjoyed  being  complimented  on  his 
taste.  He  liked  to  feel  that  great  minds  can  stoop 
successfully  to  occupy  themselves  with  trifles.  He 
was  delighted  to  see  his  wife  looking  well  in  one 
of  his  gifts.  The  hats  always  seemed  to  be 
holding  the  birthday  reception;  they  filled  the 
foreground  to  the  exclusion  of  the  other  marvellous 
things,  diamond  and  pearl  ornaments,  jewels  of 
every  description,  which  His  Majesty  also  showered 
on  the  Empress  with  lavish  hand. 

On  the  evening  of  Her  Majesty's  birthday  a 
performance  was  usually  given  in  the  pretty 
little  Rococo  Theatre  of  the  Palace,  built  by 
Frederick  the  Great.  Though  the  piece  was 
necessarily  simple,  owing  to  the  absence  of  up- 
to-date  stage-machinery  and  accommodation  for 
the  actors,  yet  the  little  theatre  was  the  scene  of 
many  brilliant  and  pleasant  gatherings. 

On  one  occasion  the  King  and  Queen  of  Norway 
were  present  at  a  performance  there,  soon  after 
their  accession.  They  stayed  some  days  at  the 
New  Palace,  of  course  with  their  little  son  Olaf, 


THE   EMPEROR   AND    EMPRESS,   THEIR   DAUGHTER  AND   THE  THREE 
ELDER   SONS   OF   THE   CROWN    PRINCE 


BERLIN   SCHLOSS  123 

a  most  amusing,  quaint,  old-fashioned  little  child, 
who  charmed  everybody,  especially  the  Emperor, 
with  whom  he  chatted  in  a  confidential,  fearless 
manner,  treating  His  Majesty  as  a  friend  and 
companion,  and  inviting  him  to  help  in  building 
his  house  of  bricks.  The  small  boy  came  once  or 
twice  with  the  Princess  into  her  sitting-room, 
where  he  overwhelmed  her  with  an  avalanche 
of  questions  regarding  her  canary,  pursuing  his 
investigations  into  the  remotest  details  of  its  life 
and  ancestry,  and  asking  questions  which  no  one 
could  reasonably  be  expected  to  answer. 

After  the  Emperor's  birthday  the  Season  is 
in  full  swing.  There  are  four  State  Balls  and 
various  "Cours"  and  "Levees";  but  the  Balls 
are  the  chief  events  of  the  season.  With  that 
thoroughness  which  distinguishes  all  he  does,  the 
Emperor  does  not  permit  any  dancing  at  his 
Court  which  fails  to  come  up  to  a  certain  standard 
of  excellence.  Every  young  debutante,  every 
young  officer  anxious  to  dance  before  royalty, 
must  first  satisfy  the  fastidious  judgment  of  the 
Court  Dancing-Mistress,  who  holds  several  Tanz- 
Proben  or  trial  dances  in  the  Weisser  Saal.  A 
few  years  ago  the  Court  Dancing-Mistress,  Frau 
Wolden,  now  dead,  was  only  less  of  a  personality 
than  His  Majesty.  Once  indeed,  in  an  agitated 
and  forgetful  moment,  it  is  whispered  that  she 
sank  on  to  the  throne  itself.  She  upheld  with  a 
stern  hand  the  dignity  of  the  Court,  and  her 
scathing  remarks  on  the  attitudes  and  steps  of 
certain  young  provincials  of  both  sexes  who 
thought  to  introduce  fashionable  irregularities 
into  the  lancers,  at  once  made  them  realize  their 


124     MEMORIES    OF   THE   KAISER'S    COURT 

error.  What  her  real  age  was  cannot  with  cer- 
tainty be  told.  She  owned  with  pride  to  seventy, 
and  would  lift  her  silk  skirts  and  show  her  wonder- 
fully fine  ankles  in  a  graceful  tip-toe  turn  as  if  in 
derision  of  awkward  flat-footed  youth.  To  the 
day  of  her  death  she  retained  all  her  marvellous 
grace  of  movement.  Twice  a  week  she  came 
to  the  Castle  to  give  dancing  lessons  to  Prince 
Joachim  and  the  Princess.  Other  little  boys  and 
girls  of  the  same  age  were  invited  to  complete 
the  class,  and  were  drilled  by  the  old  lady  in  the 
intricacies  of  the  minuet  and  gavotte,  which 
quaint  old-world  dances  are  invariably  danced 
at  the  Berlin  Court  Balls,  and  are  from  a  specta- 
cular point  of  view  the  most  beautiful  of  any. 

Excepting  in  severe  winters  it  is  rare  that  any 
sleighing  is  possible  in  Berlin,  but  once  there 
came  a  short  frost  accompanied  by  a  good  deal 
of  snow,  and  immediately  the  aspect  of  the  streets 
changed.  All  the  cabs  were  replaced  by  wooden 
sleighs  ;  the  rather  depressed-looking  cabmen  (it 
was  before  automobiles  had  taken  possession  of 
Berlin)  became  cheerful  and  picturesque  in  fur 
caps  and  sheepskin  coats.  Two  light  sleighs,  each 
drawn  by  a  couple  of  horses,  appeared  every 
afternoon  in  the  court-yard  of  the  Schloss  with 
a  musical  clash  and  tingle  of  bells,  and  away  the 
Princess  would  drive  over  the  hard-trampled  snow 
of  the  streets  till  the  Griinewald,  the  beautiful 
forest  skirting  Berlin,  was  reached. 

To  keep  the  snow  thrown  up  by  the  hoofs  of 
the  horses  from  falling  into  the  sleigh,  white  snow- 
cloths  with  red  borders  were  stretched  from  their 
collars   and  tied   to   each  corner   of  the    splash- 


BERLIN    SCHLOSS  125 

board.     These  rilled  out  to  the  wind   like   sails, 
giving  the  impression  that  the  sleigh  was  being 
borne   along   by   them.     In  the   Griinewald  were 
a   good   many  other   sleighs   gliding    along    with 
a    merry   jangle.      Behind,    on    a   tiny    seat,    his 
feet  on  the  runners,  sat  the  Princess's  footman 
enveloped   in   a   big   coat    with   triple   cape   and 
Ohren-Klappen  (ear-lappets)  over  his  ears.    Some- 
times sleighs  are  driven  from  the  back,  or  more 
commonly  by  a  person  inside,  but  these  had  a  seat 
in  front  for  the  driver.     It  is  not  easy  to  steer 
a  horse-sleigh  round  a  corner,  as  it  has  a  tendency 
to  skid  off  sideways.     At  the  New  Palace,  when  a 
hard  frost  came,  it  was  in  later  years  no  unusual 
thing  to  see  the  Crown  Prince  and  Princess  driving 
in  a  sleigh,  followed  by  a  string  of  young  officers 
and  their  wives  on  ordinary  children's  toboggans, 
several  drawn  by  one  horse.       Occasionally  one 
of  the  fair  sleighers,  responsive  to  an  unexpected 
movement  of  the  horse,  would  drop  off  behind, 
and  some  of  the  rest  of  the  party  had  to  come 
back    and   replace   her.     There   could   not   have 
been  much  enjoyment  in  travelling  in  that  way, 
unprotected  from  the  cold,  though  doubtless  the 
occasional   bump   on   to   the   ground   helped   to 
restore  the  circulation. 

But  the  occasions  for  sleighing  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Berlin  are  very  rare  indeed,  as  there 
is  seldom  quite  enough  depth  of  snow,  so  that 
opportunities  had  to  be  snatched  or  they  might 
be  gone  in  another  hour  or  two.  The  Princess 
always  grasped  the  earliest  possible  opportunity 
when  sleighing  was  practicable,  and  enjoyed  some 
delightful  drives  through  the  silent  frozen    soli- 


126     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

tudes  beside  the  marshes  of  the  Havel,  whose 
brown  sedges  broke  the  whiteness  of  the  shore, 
down  by  Werder  (the  Cherry-island,  where  in 
spring  the  blossom  of  cherry-trees  recalls  the  past 
winter),  all  along  the  ice-bound  blue-grey  river 
streaked  with  white  where  the  blasts  from  the 
north  blew  the  snow  into  long  ripples,  back  through 
the  unbroken  purity  of  the  lovely  Wild-park  with 
its  troops  of  dun-brown  deer  moving  silently  under 
the  snow-laden  branches,  waiting  for  the  forester  to 
bring  their  daily  ration  of  hay  and  chestnuts. 

But  for  the  most  part  the  snow  comes  and 
goes  quickly,  as  in  England,  and  in  Berlin  it  is 
rapidly  cleared  from  the  streets  and  tipped  into 
the  river.  Even  in  Belle  Vue  it  quickly  becomes 
black  and  sullied,  for  the  railway  runs  through 
one  corner  of  the  park  and  the  smoke  of  the  trains 
plentifully  besprinkles  all  the  shrubs  and  bushes 
with  smuts. 

Belle  Vue  was  sometimes  the  scene  of  the  great 
hunt  for  Easter  eggs,  in  which  His  Majesty  himself 
used  to  take  a  very  active  part. 

About  twenty  children  were  invited  to  partake 
in  this  festivity,  and  the  preparations  for  Easter 
in  the  way  of  gifts  seemed  only  a  very  little  less 
than  those  at  Christmas.  The  Empress  usually 
gave  every  person  in  her  service  a  piece  of  Berlin 
porcelain — beautiful  hand-painted  coffee-  or  tea- 
cups, dessert-plates,  vases  or  candlesticks.  In 
addition  to  these  things,  flowers  arranged  to 
look  like  eggs  were  always  sent  to  the  suite  by 
Her  Majesty,  and  the  children  invited  to  the  Eier- 
Suchen,  as  it  was  called,  each  received  a  huge 
cardboard  egg  filled  with  toys,  postcards,  trinkets 


BERLIN    SCHLOSS  127 

and  bonbons,  besides  a  variety  of  chocolate  eggs 
wrapped  in  bright-coloured  papers. 

All  the  eggs  had  to  be  looked  for  in  various 
hiding-places,  and  each  child  was  provided  with  a 
basket  to  hold  what  he  or  she  found.  If  the 
weather  promised  to  keep  fine,  the  eggs  were 
hidden  in  the  garden  among  the  bushes,  but  if  it 
appeared  likely  to  be  wet,  then  the  hunt  took 
place  in  the  Schloss  itself.  Sometimes  the  Em- 
peror insisted  on  hiding  all  the  eggs,  as  he  con- 
sidered that  he  knew  the  best  places  for  them ; 
but  once  he  and  his  adjutants  made  an  unfortu- 
nate choice  of  the  porcelain  stoves  as  appropriate 
nesting-places,  with  the  result  that  the  chocolate 
eggs  melted  away  under  the  influence  of  the 
heat  and  betrayed  their  presence  by  long  brown 
stalactites  dripping  to  the  floor  below. 

At  one  of  these  "  egg-parties  "--which  were  apt 
to  be  a  little  stiff  at  first,  as  the  children  were 
overawed,  and  probably  over-admonished  as  to 
their  behaviour  before  coming — the  Emperor 
was  much  amused  by  a  small  boy  of  seven,  the 
little  Prince  of  Saxe-Altenburg,  whose  father 
has  now  succeeded  to  the  principality.  The 
little  fellow  arrived  at  Belle  Vue  clad  in  a  most 
immaculate  white  sailor-suit  and  white  linen  cap, 
but  in  his  earnest  pursuit  of  eggs  he  thrust  him- 
self into  the  heart  of  the  thickest  and  sootiest 
bushes,  conscientiously  penetrated  the  most 
tangled  thorny  shrubs,  explored  the  coke-cellar 
of  the  greenhouse,  and  emerged  at  last  with  his 
face  covered  with  black  smears  and  the  dazzling 
whiteness  of  his  garments  seriously  diminished. 
When  all  the  children  were  reassembled  with  their 


128     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

eggs,  this  small  Prince,  regardless  of  the  smuts 
on  his  hands  and  nose,  and  perhaps  a  little  weary 
of  the  stiff  atmosphere  which  prevailed  in  the 
presence  of  Their  Majesties,  with  a  smile,  produced 
from  his  pocket  a  pair  of  motor-goggles,  which 
he  assumed  with  an  aspect  of  the  greatest  joy, 
and  after  sweeping  the  assembled  girls  and  boys 
with  a  sunshiny  glance  which  left  a  ripple  of 
laughter  behind,  turned  his  smiling  face  to  the 
Emperor  and  grinned  confidingly.  He  effectually 
broke  the  ice,  and  the  stiffness  vanished  at  once. 
The  children  lapsed  into  naturalness,  forgot  that 
they  were  wearing  their  best  frocks,  and  followed 
the  still  "motor-goggled"  Prince  in  a  wild  chase 
round  the  bushes  and  flower-beds.  It  was  he  who 
really  made  the  party  a  social  success.  All  the 
children  went  home  a  little  smudgy,  but  all  felt 
that  they  had  had  an  unusually  good  time. 


CHAPTER    VII 

DONAU-ESCHINGEN    AND    METZ 


n^ 


HE  time  came  very  soon  when  Prince 
Joachim    was    sent   away,    the   victim   of 

-A-  acute  home-sickness,  to  join  his  brothers  in 
Ploen  ;  and  it  was  then  resolved  that  the  Princess, 
who  felt  his  absence  keenly,  should  be  also  provided 
with  the  necessary  stimulus  and  society  of  children 
of  her  own  age. 

From  the  Augusta-Stift,  an  aristocratic  ladies' 
school  in  Potsdam  in  which  the  Empress  was  much 
interested,  three  suitable  young  maidens  of  good 
family  were  chosen. 

Every  morning  they  were  fetched  at  half-past 
seven  by  a  royal  carriage  and  brought  to  the  New 
Palace,  where  they  shared  the  lessons  and  games 
of  the  Princess  until  half-past  twelve,  when  they 
were  reconducted  to  their  Stift.  It  was  fondly 
hoped  by  the  ladies  of  the  Court  that  this  arrange- 
ment would  put  a  stop  to  the  constant  inter- 
ruption of  lessons — a  hope  which  was  scarcely 
realized,  for  it  made  not  the  slightest  difference. 

Girls  in  high-class  German  schools  lead  a  very 
different  life  to  those  in  similar  institutions  in 
England.  They  must  all  wear  uniform,  ugly  for 
choice ;  they  must  have  their  hair  plaited  in  the 
tightest,  most  uncompromising  of  plaits,  which  is 
not  allowed  to  hang  down,  but  is  pinned  by  multi- 

9  129 


130      MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

tudinous  hairpins  into  a  hard  knob.  Their  whole 
existence  is  absorbed  in  the  acquisition  of  know- 
ledge, and  the  exercise  they  take  is  a  matter  not  of 
pleasure  but  of  health .  I  f  they  do  anything  naughty, 
or  are  untidy,  they  wear  ribbon  rosettes  whose 
colours  show  nicely-graduated  degrees  of  infamy, 
and  they  must  weep  bitterly  when  they  don't 
know  their  lessons,  and  ask  forgiveness  for  a 
failure  to  indicate  the  exact  position  of  Kam- 
schatka.  They  are  usually  nice,  happy,  pleasant- 
mannered  girls,  expert  at  making  Knixes,  those 
quaint  little  German  curtsies  which  seem  to  carry 
one  back  into  Jane  Austen's  books.  They  kiss 
the  hands  of  their  elders,  and  as  soon  as  they  are 
confirniiert  and  leave  school,  blossom  out  into  very 
fashionably-dressed,  handsome  young  women,  with 
hair  done  in  the  latest  fashion,  and  a  decided 
penchant  for  young  lieutenants.  Their  highest 
ambition  is  to  be  verlobt  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
they  never  turn  their  thoughts  again  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Kamschatka  or  any  other  part  of  the 
globe  existing  beyond  their  immediate  sphere 
of  observation.  They  make  excellently  self-sacri- 
ficing wives  and  mothers,  and  help  to  preserve 
in  their  husbands  that  attitude  of  infallibility 
which  is  the  peculiar  prerogative  of  German 
mankind.  They  invariably  converse  fairly  well 
in  English  and  French,  and  are  able  to  quote 
Goethe,  Schiller  and  Shakespeare  in  a  manner 
which,  if  a  little  mechanical,  still  gives  an  agree- 
able impression  of  culture  and  is  some  relief  from 
the  domestic  pursuits  which,  after  marriage,  they 
fulfil  with  praiseworthy  ardour  They  are  as 
opposed   to   the   self-possessed,   slangy,   sporting 


DONAU-ESCHINGEN  AND   METZ  131 

English  schoolgirl  with  her  multifarious  ambitions 
as  can  well  be  imagined.  They  never  desire  to  go 
on  the  stage,  never  want  a  vote,  and  are  perfectly 
content  with  the  limited  prospect  which  life  offers 
to  their  sex. 

So  in  their  ill-fitting   black    frocks,   in   hard, 
round,  black  straw  sailor  hats,  with  their  luxuriant 
hair  strained  brutally  off  their  foreheads  into  the 
tightest,   hardest   of   coils,   every  morning   came 
three    little    girls    to   share   the   studies   and   re- 
creations   of    the     Princess.      There    had    been 
some    heart-burning   among   the   parents   of   the 
young  ladies  of  the  Stift,  as  each  one  considered 
that  her  child  had  peculiar  qualifications  as  a 
possible    companion   to    royalty ;    but    the    final 
decision  lay  in  the  hands  of  the  head-mistress  and 
the  tutor  of  the  Princess,  and  the  choice  ultimately 
made  was  undoubtedly  a  wise  one,  though  some- 
times   the    more    unregenerate    officers    of     His 
Majesty's  suite  ventured  the  opinion  that  the  girls 
in   question    were    " zu    gut    erzogen" — too    well 
brought  up — from  which  it  may  be  gathered  that 
they  desired  to  see  a  little  more  natural,  healthy 
naughtiness  exhibited.     It  is,  however,  unreason- 
able to  expect  a  child,  even  if  endowed  with  gifts 
in  this  direction,  not  to  put  a  good  many  curbs  on 
her  inclination  when  she  is  chosen  to  share  the 
comparatively  pleasant  life  at  Court  in  exchange 
for  that  of  the  Stift ;  and  as  they  were  expressly 
encouraged  to  assert  their  own  rights  and  not 
to  let  the  Princess  always  win  at  the  games  they 
played — a  deplorable  tendency  which  had  its  root 
as  much  in  the  Princess's  superiority  at  games  as 
in  the  ill-advised  instructions  of  foolish  parents — 


182    MEMORIES  OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

they  soon  discovered,  as  children  will,  a  demo- 
cratic level  of  existence  which  was  invaluable  as 
an  educational  factor.  Each  child,  including  the 
Princess,  was  called  by  her  Christian  name,  and 
it  was  a  matter  for  congratulation  when  one  of 
the  "  Stifts-Kinder ,"  as  they  were  called,  was  found 
to  have  an  immense  superiority  over  the  Princess 
in  the  matter  of  evolutions  on  the  parallel  bars. 
This  quartette  of  young  people  worked  and  played 
together  amicably  for  some  years — until,  in  fact, 
the  time  approached  for  the  confirmation  of  the 
Princess,  that  great  event  in  the  life  of  a  German 
girl  which  seems  to  make  a  sharp,  decided  finish  to 
her  childhood  and  flings  her  full-fledged  into  a  new 
existence. 

When  the  Court  was  staying  in  Berlin,  the 
Stifts-Kinder  came  under  a  lady's  escort  by  train 
every  morning  from  Potsdam  to  Berlin,  where 
they  were  driven  straight  to  Belle  Vue.  They 
had  four  little  desks  side  by  side  in  one  of  the  big 
empty  salons  there,  and  their  cheerful  faces  and 
gay  shrieks  of  laughter  as  they  jumped  over  the 
flower-beds  in  the  intervals  of  lessons,  or  in  wet 
weather  chased  each  other  through  the  stately 
rooms  with  their  decorous  suites  of  brocaded 
furniture,  added  a  pleasant  element  of  youth 
and  freshness  to  the  old  palace. 

The  Princess  told  many  interesting  things  about 
Belle  Vue.  Among  other  things,  when  I  was 
admiring  the  blue  satin  curtains  in  one  room  and 
remarking  on  their  newness,  she  said,  "  Yes,  of 
course  ;   that  was  because  of  the  Shah  of  Persia." 

"  Why  ? "  I  inquired,  wondering  what  the 
Shah  had  to  do  with  curtains  in  Belle  Vue. 


DONAU-ESCHINGEN  AND  METZ  133 

"  Oh,  don't  you  know  ?  He  and  his  suite 
stayed  here  once,  and  they  used  to  kill  sheep  in 
this  room,  and  wiped  their  hands  on  the  blue 
satin  curtains ;  and  they  had  to  be  replaced,  of 
course  ! " 

She  said  further  that  the  "  old  Shah,"  the  one 
who  threw  chicken-bones  and  asparagus-ends  over 
his  shoulder  to  the  servants  standing  behind, 
tried  to  imitate  European  manners  and  eat  with 
a  fork  instead  of  his  fingers,  but  being  unaccus- 
tomed to  the  implement,  compromised  on  Persian 
and  European  methods  by  picking  up  the  meat 
with  his  fingers,  sticking  it  on  the  fork,  and  thus 
conveying  it  to  his  mouth. 

"  When  Great-Grandmamma  Augusta  once  of- 
fered him  a  dish  of  strawberries,  instead  of  taking 
a  few  on  to  his  plate,  he  just  ate  them  from  the 
dish  while  she  held  it.  Fancy !  Great-Grand- 
mamma Augusta — who  was  so  particular !  Every- 
body nearly  had  a  fit !  " 

An  intense  interest  in  human  nature  was  one 
of  the  traits  which  the  Princess  shared  with  her 
father,  the  Emperor.  She  liked,  if  possible,  to 
merge  herself  in  the  crowd,  to  watch  people 
going  about  their  daily  affairs,  to  see  young  people 
making  love,  old  people  cooking  or  reading  the 
papers.  She  had  a  healthy,  vital  curiosity ;  knew 
all  about  the  brothers  of  the  Stifts-Kinder ,  and  to 
whom  they  were,  or  were  likely  to  be,  engaged.  One 
particular  friend  among  the  boarders  at  the  Stift 
— not  one  of  those  who  came  daily,  but  another 
who  was  frequently  invited  to  the  Palace,  a  very 
nice  American  girl  called  Yvette  Borup — had  a 
brother  who  accompanied  Peary  on  his  expedition 


134     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

to  the  North  Pole.  After  coming  safely  through 
all  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  the  Polar  ex- 
pedition, this  brother  a  year  or  two  later  was 
unfortunately  drowned  in  America  while  boating ; 
but  at  the  time  of  which  I  write  he  was  absent 
with  Peary,  and  there  were  few  days  when  the 
Princess  did  not  wonder  "  where  Yvette's  brother 
had  got  to  now." 

In  the  daily  afternoon  walks  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Potsdam,  after  Prince  Joachim  had  gone 
to  Ploen  and  there  was  consequently  no  governor 
or  tutor  to  accompany  the  Princess  and  her 
lady,  a  private  detective  was  detailed  to  dog 
her  footsteps,  for  there  were  many  undesirable 
characters  about  and  Her  Majesty  insisted  that 
we  should  have  some  kind  of  escort. 

These  men  deserved  the  greatest  sympathy, 
for  the  Princess  found  it  most  irksome  to  be 
followed,  and  would  take  the  greatest  pains  to 
"  throw  them  off  the  scent."  When  they  began 
to  realize  their  obnoxiousness  to  this  tempestuous 
daughter  of  the  Hohenzollerns  it  was  amusing  to 
see  them  unobtrusively  materialize  from  behind 
a  tree  after  she  had  passed  by,  skulking  from 
bush  to  bush,  withdrawing  into  the  shadows  of 
the  houses,  or  pretending  to  be  mere  harmless 
passers-by  absorbed  in  the  study  of  shop- windows. 

The  Princess,  whose  sharp  eye  instantly  detected 
their  manoeuvres,  once  observed  :  "If  we  had 
not  known  they  were  detectives,  we  might  have 
thought  them  murderers  lying  in  wait." 

Men  new  to  their  duties  would  begin  by  show- 
ing too  much  zeal,  and  invariably  found  that  all 
their   instructions  from   head-quarters,   whatever 


DONAU-ESCHINGEN  AND   METZ  135 

they  might  be,  were  immediately  negatived  and 
rendered  of  no  effect,  for  if  they  approached 
within  not  merely  speaking,  but  shouting  dis- 
tance, they  were  treated  with  withering  scorn, 
and  the  Princess  would  fly  through  the  bushes 
on  rapid,  indignant  feet,  while  the  unfortunate 
man  purled  gallantly  but  hopelessly  in  the  rear. 

Finally  the  footman  was  told  to  instruct  the 
detectives  as  to  the  probable  direction  of  her 
walks,  so  that  they  could  make  occasional  cross- 
country cuts  ;  and  they  quickly  learned  the  neces- 
sity of  "  taking  cover"  and  becoming  merged  in 
the  surrounding  landscape  as  soon  as  the  keen- 
eyed  Princess  appeared  in  sight.  They  were  not 
only  absolved  but  strictly  prohibited  from  bowing 
or  saluting,  and  were  urged  to  be  "unmannerly 
rather  than  troublesome"  ;  and  they  soon  learned 
to  carry  out  their  duties  so  unobtrusively  that 
when,  as  often  happened,  they  were  requisitioned 
for  the  service  of  the  Emperor,  the  suite  remarked 
on  the  excellent  training  and  wonderful  tact  of 
the  Geheitn-Polizisten,  quite  unaware  how  much 
of  their  education  had  been  due  to  a  young 
"Backfisch"  in  a  blue  serge  suit. 

Royalties,  especially  German  Royalties,  spend  a 
large  portion  of  their  existence  in  travelling ;  and 
it  may  here  be  noted  how  much  the  advent  of  the 
automobile  has  tended  to  simplify  life  at  court, 
and  to  abolish  those  manifold  small  ceremonies, 
red  carpets  and  constantly-bowing  officials,  which 
were  formerly  attendant  on  the  shortest  royal 
journeys.  It  has  relieved  the  royalties  them- 
selves, as  well  as  the  functionaries  of  the  Court,  of 
an  infinite  multitude  of  tedious,  tiresome,  small 


136    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

formalities  and  duties,  and  the  motor-car  is  now 
invariably  used  excepting  for  very  long  journeys. 

Donau-Eschingen  is  the  name  of  the  residence 
of  Prince  Max  Egon,  Fiirst  zu  Fiirstenburg,  with 
whom  His  Majesty  stays  every  year  for  a  few 
days  to  shoot  capercailzie,  which  abound  in  the 
woods  of  the  region  bordering  on  the  Schwarz- 
wald.  On  one  occasion  the  Empress  and  her 
daughter  accompanied  the  Emperor,  who  had  just 
returned  from  Norway. 

The  train  of  the  Empress  left  Berlin  at  eleven 
o'clock  on  Friday  night,  and  before  that,  the  Prin- 
cess had  retired  to  bed,  though  it  is  not  easy 
to  sleep  in  a  station  among  the  hootings  and 
trumpetings  that  accompany  the  comings  and 
goings  of  trains.  All  through  the  night  the 
train  travelled  slowly,  with  many  jerks  and  stops, 
for  it  was  not  due  to  arrive  until  ten  o'clock  next 
morning  at  the  place  where  the  Emperor  would 
join  it.  The  route  lay  through  the  most  beautiful 
forest  scenery  of  the  Thuringer-Wald. 

At  nine  o'clock  we  breakfasted  in  the  train 
with  the  Empress,  and  shortly  afterwards  stopped 
at  a  station  surrounded  by  an  enormous  crowd. 
There  were  the  usual  tiers  of  faces  pressed  to  the 
railings  row  above  row.  No  ceremony  was  ob- 
served on  this  occasion.  The  Emperor  could  be 
seen  in  his  green  hunting-uniform  crossing  the 
line  with  his  adjutants,  and  the  Empress  and  the 
Princess  got  down  on  to  the  platform  to  welcome 
him.  He  looked  very  brown  and  well  from  his 
long  sea-voyage,  and  was  obviously  in  very  good 
spirits.  After  a  few  minutes  the  train  started 
again,  no  luggage  having  been  transferred,  as  the 


DONAU-ESCHINGEN  AND   METZ  137 

train  that  brought  His  Majesty  had  been  coupled 
on  to  that  of  the  Empress. 

At  one  o'clock  we  all  dined  together  in  the 
restaurant  car,  where  the  ladies  wore  hats  and 
simple  walking- dresses,  without  jackets.  A  long 
table  ran  down  the  centre  of  the  saloon,  and  one 
of  the  gentlemen,  whose  duty  it  was,  showed  us 
our  places.  The  Emperor  and  Empress  sat  facing 
each  other  at  the  middle  of  each  side. 

There  was  very  little  room  for  the  footmen  to 
pass  round  behind  the  chairs,  especially  for  those 
unfortunate  men  who,  in  the  course  of  their 
service  at  court,  had  acquired  a  certain  rotundity 
of  figure  ;  and  as  the  train  jerked  and  swayed 
along  it  was  all  that  some  of  them  could  do  to 
avoid  being  flung,  soup  and  all,  over  the  people 
they  were  serving.  The  consomme  was  handed 
round  in  little  bowls  with  curved-in  rims,  but  at 
the  best  it  was  a  very  elusive  liquid,  and  most 
of  it  evaded  pursuit  and  was  taken  back  to  the 
kitchen. 

After  the  soup  came  mutton  cutlets  with  puree 
of  potatoes,  and  this  dish  the  Emperor  ordered 
to  be  set  in  front  of  him,  for  he  obviously  objected 
to  the  possibility  of  having  an  avalanche  of  chops 
on  his  head.  At  German  meals  every  dish,  even 
a  joint,  is  always  offered  to  the  guests  to  help 
themselves  ;  there  is  no  carving  at  the  sideboard. 
The  meat  is  previously  cut  up  in  the  kitchen, 
and  then  the  slices  laid  together  again  to  look  as 
though  the  joint  were  whole,  so  that  only  a  fork  is 
needed  to  serve  oneself ;  but  it  always  impressed 
me,  especially  after  once  seeing  a  servant,  owing 
to  a  sudden  paroxysm  of  the  train,  fling  a  whole 


\ 


138     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

leg  of  mutton  over  a  lady's  shoulder  into  her  lap, 
as  a  custom  which  places  too  much  responsibility 
on  the  waiter.  So  the  gentlemen  and  the  Empress 
held  the  plates  while  the  Emperor  slapped  chops 
into  them  as  fast  as  possible,  so  that  they  had, 
as  he  observed,  "  no  time  to  grow  cold,"  and  the 
dish  was  soon  empty. 

He  was  laughing  and  chatting  all  the  time, 
evidently  in  most  exuberant  spirits,  and  intro- 
duced one  gentleman  to  me,  who  had  newly 
arrived  at  court,  giving  a  short  biography  of  his 
life — as  for  instance  "  He's  been  to  America  and 
got  scalped  there  by  Indians."  The  gentleman 
in  question,  raising  his  hat,  ran  his  hand  over 
his  smooth  and  hairless  cranium  as  though  in 
corroboration  of  His  Majesty's  statement. 

"  Speaks  wonderful  English,"  went  on  the 
Emperor — "  wonderful  English,  all  learnt  in 
America.  You  can  talk  to  him  as  much  as  you 
like." 

As  my  energies  were  at  that  time  concentrated 
on  keeping  my  knife  and  fork  out  of  my  features, 
I  did  not  talk  very  much  to  the  gentleman  from 
America,  though  I  afterwards  found  that  he  did 
speak  very  good  English  indeed. 

The  train  began  slowly  to  ascend  the  beautiful 
mountains  of  the  Black  Forest.  It  was  the  month 
of  May,  and  against  the  dark  background  of  pine- 
forest  ran  the  vivid  green  of  the  larches  breaking 
into  leaf.  Little  streams  and  waterfalls  con- 
tinually came  into  view  as  we  rose  higher  and 
higher,  and  often  a  sudden  shower  fell  and  a 
rainbow  spanned  the  valley  below  us.  The  train 
passed  through  more  than  thirty  tunnels. 


DONAU-ESCHINGEN   AND   METZ  139 

When  luncheon  was  finished  we  still  stayed 
some  time  at  the  table,  and  one  of  the  generals  in 
the  Emperor's  suite  who  had  recently  begun  to 
study  the  English  language  took  the  opportunity 
to  practise  what  he  knew  of  it  upon  me.  He 
was  a  very  delightful,  handsome  old  gentleman, 
and  had  fought  in  the  Franco-Prussian  War.  He 
told  me  all  the  books  he  was  reading  in  English, 
and  quoted  sentimentally,  apropos  of  nothing, 
"  Let  me  Dream  again."  I  wondered  where  he 
had  learned  that  Early- Victorian  melody. 

"  That  is  all  Lowther  Castle,"  laughed  the 
Emperor  :  "  started  them  all  learning  English ; 
they've  been  taking  lessons  ever  since." 

When  they  accompanied  the  Emperor  to  stay 
with  Lord  Lonsdale,  all  the  German  gentlemen 
found  themselves  so  dreadfully  "out  of  it"  for 
want  of  English,  that  as  soon  as  they  returned 
to  their  native  land  they  one  and  all,  regardless 
of  age  or  possible  ridicule,  immediately  sought 
out  a  teacher  and  studied  hard,  with,  at  least  in 
the  case  of  the  old  general,  most  satisfactory 
results,  for  he  was  able  to  talk  quite  fluently 
with  me.  I  recommended  him  to  read  "  The 
Visits  of  Elizabeth,"  which  had  just  appeared 
in  Tauchnitz,  and  the  Emperor  remarked  that 
he  had  read  it,  and  was  sure  it  was  all  true, 
especially  the  part  about  France.  He  was  very 
kind  in  pointing  out  pretty  bits  of  scenery,  and 
kept  the  table  in  a  perpetual  roar  with  his  jokes, 
which  he  always  laughed  at  most  heartily  himself. 

When  the  train  arrived  at  Donau-Eschingen 
a  large  party,  composed  of  the  Prince  and  Prin- 
cess Fiirstenburg  with   their   eldest   daughter,    a 


■ 


140     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

girl  about  the  same  age  as  the  Princess,  and  sundry 
head-foresters,  Land-Rats,  and  other  officials  in 
black  coats  and  white  ties,  was  on  the  platform 
to  receive  the  Emperor  and  Empress. 

There  were  five  children  at  the  Schloss,  two  girls 
and  three  boys,  and  the  Princess  was  delighted  to 
have  so  many  children  to  talk  and  play  with. 
She  was  always  interested  in  new  people,  and 
never  shy.  She  took  all  her  meals  with  them  and 
their  governess  and  tutor,  and  played  furious  games 
of  hide-and-seek  all  over  the  garden.  Nor  did  she 
neglect  to  visit  the  stables,  and  tried  to  ride  a 
donkey  bare-backed  without  a  bridle — a  very  diffi- 
cult feat,  as  she  found  to  her  cost,  for  being  uplifted 
with  pride  at  being  able  to  stick  on  for  a  few  minutes, 
she  rode  into  the  front  of  the  Schloss,  where  the 
donkey  tipped  her  ignominiously  on  to  the  gravel 
before  the  assembled  ladies  and  gentlemen  and 
then  raced  back  to  the  stables.  Beyond  a  few 
scratches  she  was  not  much  hurt. 

In  the  district  of  Baden,  where  Donau-Eschingen 
is  situated,  and  in  the  various  valleys  of  the 
Black  Forest,  the  peasant  costumes  are  extremely 
quaint  and  varied,  each  valley  being  distin- 
guished by  its  own  particular  Tracht.  At  the 
invitation  of  the  Prince  of  Fiirstenburg  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  district  came  to 
greet  the  Emperor  and  Empress.  It  was  a  most 
beautiful  and  picturesque  sight,  these  masses  of 
people  in  their  many-coloured  head-dresses  and 
wonderfully  embroidered  bodices.  Some  of  them 
had  huge  erections  made  of  brilliantly  coloured 
beads  on  their  heads,  in  shape  like  a  wedding 
cake,  and  often  weighing  close  on  twenty  pounds ; 


DONAU-ESCHINGEN   AND   METZ  141 

others  wore  straw  hats  covered  with  bright  red 
or  black  silk  pompons ;  while  another  character- 
istic head-dress  was  a  sort  of  pointed,  stiff  black 
silk  cap,  from  which  hung  long  streamers  of 
black  ribbon.  They  had  wonderfully  embroidered 
bodices  worked  in  silver  lace,  and  short  pleated 
skirts  of  a  portentous  width  all  round. 

The  Emperor  and  Empress  and  all  the  guests 
stood  on  the  balcony  after  they  returned  from 
church — it  was  of  course  Sunday  when  the  fete 
took  place — and  watched  the  procession  go  by. 
The  inhabitants  of  each  valley  walked  together 
and  carried  a  flag  bearing  the  name  of  their  par- 
ticular district.  The  cheerful  sunburnt  peasants 
moved  slowly  through  the  beautiful  gardens, 
men  and  women  marching  past  in  their  quaint 
picturesque  dress,  which,  though  so  crude  in 
colour,  yet  blended  together  in  a  riot  of  delightful 
beauty,  threading  in  and  out  in  a  long-drawn-out 
line  of  marvellous  effect.  The  sun  glinted  from 
the  masses  of  opalescent  beads  carried  on  the 
heads  of  three  or  four  hundred  sturdy  maidens, 
or  lit  up  the  wide  stretch  of  red  pompons  which 
cut  across  the  procession  like  a  field  of  poppies, 
then  wandered  to  the  bright  red  waistcoats  worn 
by  the  men,  shone  on  the  green  silk  aprons  or 
the  broad  cerise  ribbons  and  the  wonderfully 
starched  and  plaited  white  cambric  sleeves. 

Three  of  the  women,  each  wearing  a  different 
costume,  came  up  to  the  balcony  and  presented 
an  address  to  the  Empress,  who  talked  with  them 
in  her  usual  kindly  manner.  The  peasants  were 
three  women  of  great  dignity  and  a  certain 
nobility  of  manner,  self-possessed  and  apparently 


142     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

not  in  the  least  intimidated.  Probably  in  ordinary 
costume  they  might  have  created  a  different 
impression,  and  would  have  appeared  commonplace 
and  ordinary  in  type  and  feature  ;  but  the  marvel 
of  these  peasant  dresses  is  that  the  plain  woman 
looks  in  them  almost  as  well  as  the  handsomest ; 
they  bestow  a  piquancy,  an  alluring  attractive- 
ness on  the  least  prepossessing  of  womankind. 
In  detail  they  exploit  the  bizarre,  the  unexpected, 
often  the  ludicrous,  yet  subtly  blend  into  a  com- 
plete and  satisfactory  whole,  as  incomprehensible 
as  it  is  fascinating. 

For  the  rest  of  the  day  the  Schloss  garden  was 
crowded  with  groups  of  peasants,  some  of  them 
tiny  boys  and  girls,  all  anxious  to  see  the  Kaiserin, 
and  above  all  "die  kleine  Prinzessin,"  who  has 
always  kept  a  very  special  place  in  the  hearts  of 
the  German  people. 

A  curious  rumour,  one  of  those  inexplicable 
tales  which,  though  totally  devoid  of  foundation, 
are  yet  firmly  accepted  and  become  one  more  of 
those  popular  errors  so  tenaciously  held,  a  whis- 
pered story  with  regard  to  the  Princess,  with 
which  she  herself  is  much  amused,  has  always 
been  current  in  Germany — even  in  the  remotest 
corners  of  the  Empire — to  the  effect  that  she  is 
deaf  and  dumb.  How  this  extraordinary  idea 
arose  can  never  be  known,  for  at  every  stage  of 
her  existence  the  Princess  has  lagged  noways 
behind  other  children  in  volubility  of  expression 
and  quickness  of  hearing. 

Once  at  the  sea-side  a  faithful  forester,  a  true 
and  loyal  German  subject,  approached  the  Court 
physician,  who  was  in  attendance  on  the  royal 


DONAU-ESCHINGEN  AND   METZ  143 

children,  paddling  in  the  "  briny  "  a  short  distance 
away,  and  expressed  his  unmitigated  sorrow  at 
the  misfortune  suffered  by  the  Imperial  Family, 
in  that  their  only  daughter  should  be  so  deeply 
afflicted. 

At  the  moment  one  of  those  healthy  spells  of 
zanking  happened  to  take  place  between  the 
Princess  and  her  brother. 

"  Do  you  hear  that  ?  "  said  the  genial  doctor. 
"  Can  you  hear  your  deaf-and-dumb  Princess 
talking  ?  "  She  was  indeed  talking  in  tones  that 
carried  to  quite  a  distance.  "Go  a  little  nearer 
and  listen." 

The  man  stopped  a  short  distance  away,  and 
drank  in  the  sounds  as  though  they  were  heavenly 
music.  The  poor  afflicted  child  of  his  imagination 
fled  for  ever.    He  turned  with  his  face  radiating  j oy . 

"  Gott  sei  dank  I"  he  ejaculated.  "Now  I 
know  it's  not  true,  but  I  was  always  afraid.  People 
always  said  she  was  taub-stumm.  Now  I  can  tell 
them  what  fools  they  are.  I've  heard  Her  Royal 
Highness  with  my  own  ears."  He  departed 
joyously  to  spread  the  glad  tidings. 

But  many  people  are  hard  to  convince.  One 
dear  old  lady  in  Berlin  whom  I  knew  was  always 
making  doubtful  inquiries  of  me  on  this  subject, 
and,  like  Thomas,  refused  to  believe. 

"Ach,  yes!"  she  would  say,  "of  course  you 
dare  not  tell  me  the  truth.  You  have  to  say 
that  she  is  all  right." 

"  Of  course,"  I  mocked,  "it  is  essential  for  a 
deaf-and-dumb  person  to  have  an  English  teacher, 
isn't  it — and  another  one  for  French?  She  is 
deaf-and-dumb  in  three  languages." 


144    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

The  lady  was  still  doubtful,  and  I  left  her  deeply- 
pondering. 

After  three  days  we  left  Donau-Eschingen  for 
Strasburg,  a  very  beautiful  town,  disfigured  by  a 
terribly  ugly  modern  palace,  which  the  Emperor 
calls  the  "  Railway-palace,"  as  he  considers  it 
to  be  of  that  hideously  harsh,  painful  form  of 
architecture  we  have  been  accustomed  to  bear 
with,  for  purely  utilitarian  purposes.  "  They 
built  it  before  my  time,"  he  hastens  to  tell 
every  one.  "  Makes  me  feel  ill  every  time  I 
see  it." 

It  was  a  huge,  square  gaunt  building,  sur- 
rounded by  a  palisaded  garden,  which  contained 
not  a  solitary  spot  where  any  one  could  be  free 
from  the  attentions  of  the  crowd. 

Whenever  the  Princess  walked  in  it  for  a  few 
minutes,  or  wanted  to  sit  and  work  under  a  tree, 
the  whole  length  of  palisade,  only  a  few  yards  away, 
became  a  mass  of  human  bodies :  the  butcher- 
boy  with  his  basket,  the  maidservant  on  her  way 
to  market,  the  workman  with  his  pipe,  rows  upon 
rows  of  schoolboys  and  girls  with  their  teachers, 
clerks  and  washerwomen,  all  welded  themselves 
into  a  solid  mass  and  concentrated  their  gaze 
upon  one  poor  unfortunate  child.  She  fled  into 
the  house  for  the  time,  and  then  the  crowd  melted 
away,  only  to  re-form  the  moment  any  one  re- 
appeared. The  Emperor  gave  orders  that  the 
palisades  should  be  boarded  up  inside,  but  of 
course  it  was  impossible  to  do  it  at  once,  so  that 
all  that  week  of  lovely  weather  the  Princess  had 
to  stay  indoors  or  content  herself  with  drives 
round  the  town,   followed  by  a  clattering  con- 


DONAU-ESCHINGEN   AND   METZ  145 

tingent  of  schoolboys.  The  people  seemed  to 
be  delighted  to  see  the  Princess,  and  were  con- 
tinually waving  pocket-handkerchiefs  as  soon  as 
she  appeared.  They  also  greeted  the  Emperor 
and  Empress  with  great  enthusiasm  when  they 
arrived ;  but  whether  this  was  just  the  German 
portion  of  the  population,  who  tried  to  cover  up 
by  their  exuberant  loyalty  any  deficiencies  on 
the  part  of  the  French,  it  is  hard  to  say. 

The  Princess  went  with  her  mother  to  visit 
the  lovely  old  Cathedral  of  Strasburg,  and  saw  the 
wonderful  clock  and  its  flapping  cock  and  moving 
figures,  and  then  drove  through  the  old,  pictur- 
esque part  of  the  town,  among  queer  old  wooden 
houses  with  carved  beams. 

The  Empress  visited  hospitals  and  orphanages 
all  day,  and  in  the  evenings  big,  tiresome  official 
dinners  took  place,  at  which  every  one  looked 
bored.  The  Princess  was  not  there,  but  peeped 
at  them  between  the  big  red- velvet  curtains  which 
shut  off  a  portion  of  the  dining-hall. 

The  last  day  of  the  journey  was  spent  at  Metz, 
where  the  Emperor  reviewed  an  army  corps. 
Their  entry  into  this  town  must  have  seemed 
strange  indeed  to  Their  Majesties,  accustomed 
as  they  are  to  smiling,  shouting  crowds.  Here 
there  was  no  welcome,  no  smile,  not  a  single  flag. 
The  people  who  stood  in  the  streets  looked  on 
idly,  like  spectators  of  a  curious  show,  as  the  long 
procession  of  carriages  with  their  outriders  moved 
on,  to  the  sound  only  of  the  rumble  of  their  own 
wheels.  Sometimes  a  lady  remarked  resentfully 
on  the  strange  absence  of  enthusiasm.  The 
names  over  the  doors  were  French,  the  faces 
10 


146       MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

were  French,  there  was  an  atmosphere  of  French 
hostility. 

Under  a  little  awning,  in  the  burning  sunshine, 
the  Empress  stood  for  two  hours,  smiling  and 
bowing  while  the  troops  marched  past.  The 
Emperor  was  on  his  horse  a  little  distance  away, 
amidst  a  group  of  officers.  On  the  roof  of  a 
neighbouring  building  were  gathered  together 
the  only  Germans  in  the  town.  Here  was  a 
nutter  of  white,  a  shouting  of  Hurrah  !  a  move- 
ment of  welcome  and  delight,  a  little  lonely 
outpost  of  loyalty  and  patriotism.  The  people 
on  the  roof  and  one  or  two  rather  dirty  little  boys 
were  the  only  spectators  present.  The  beautiful 
town  went  on  with  its  own  affairs  while  the 
German  soldiers  marched  and  rode  past. 

It  seemed  something  of  an  anomaly  and  a 
mistake  that  these  stalwart  brown  young  men, 
good-tempered  and  patient  as  all  German  soldiers 
appear  to  be,  should  be  living  in  a  kind  of 
exile  within  their  own  Empire,  cordially  dis- 
liked by  the  people  among  whom  their  lot  is  cast, 
not  for  any  personal  reason,  but  solely  as  a 
heritage  left  to  them  by  a  dead-and-gone  genera- 
tion. None  of  them  were  born  at  the  time  of 
the  Franco- Prussian  war,  but  they  have  their 
share  of  its  aftermath.  The  Prussian  spirit  is  not 
conciliatory.  It  has  a  knack  of  letting  the  con- 
quered drink  to  the  dregs  the  cup  of  humiliation ; 
its  press  is  bombastic,  and  has  none  of  the  large- 
minded  tolerance  which  enables  it  to  appreciate 
the  acute  sufferings  of  a  proud,  humiliated 
people. 

About  five  years  after  the  end  of  the  Boer  war, 


DONAU-ESCHINGEN   AND   METZ  147 

a  German  lady  who  was  dining  at  court  drew 
me  aside  after  dinner. 

"  To-day,"  she  said,  "  I  have  been  talking  to 
a  German  gentleman  who  has  been  living  in  your 
Orange  River  Free  State,  or  whatever  you  call  it ; 
and  he  tells  me  that  the  Boers  are  quite  content 
now  to  be  under  your  Government — they  do  not 
want  to  change  back  again." 

"  Are  they  ?  "    I  said.     "  Is  he  quite  sure  ?  " 

"  Oh,  quite,  quite  certain.  He  knows.  He  is 
a  German.  They  know  he  is  a  German.  They 
tell  him  the  truth.  He  says  they  are  absolutely 
satisfied.  Now  tell  me :  how  do  you  manage 
it  ?  And  with  so  few  soldiers,  I  am  told — hardly 
any  at  all.  How  do  you  do  it  ?  In  five  years  ! 
And  look  at  us  in  Elsass-Lothringen.  We  don't 
know  how  to  satisfy  them.  They  will  never  be 
satisfied.  We  are  always  in  fear  of  war.  Tell 
us  your  secret."  She  laid  her  hand  on  my  arm 
and  looked  at  me  intently,  as  though  she  could 
surprise  the  secret  out  of  me. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  I  said  lamely.  "  You  see 
we've  had  a  lot  of  practice  at  governing,  and  made 
an  awful  lot  of  mistakes,  and  we've  learned  a  little 
by  our  past  mistakes  ;  I  suppose  that  is  one  reason. 
So  we  know  what  are  the  kind  of  things  that 
people  won't  stand.  And  we  let  them  a  good  deal 
alone  afterwards,  and  play  cricket  and  football 
with  them  and  things  of  that  kind  ;  and  we  let 
them  vote  the  same  as  the  rest  of  us,  and — er — 
well,  we  don't  treat  them  any  differently  from  the 
rest,  as  far  as  I  can  make  out — just  let  them  alone 
to  conspire  or  do  as  they  like — and  then  if  they 
know  they  can,  they  don't  want  to.     See  ?    And 


148    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

then  our  Tommies — our  soldiers — are  very  good 
too  ;  they're  not  brought  up  to  be  so  patriotic 
as  yours — so,  of  course,  it's  less  galling  :  they'd 
just  as  soon  chum  up  with  the  enemy  afterwards 
as  not.  Yours  are  brought  up  to  look  on  him 
rather  as  a  criminal,  aren't  they  ?  Not  the 
officers,  of  course,  but  the  others.  They  are 
patronizingly  kind  and  pitying,  and  no  one  likes 
that,  do  they  ?  You  don't  want  conquered  people 
to  lose  their  self-respect.  Well,  I  don't  know, 
I'm  sure " 

"  Cricket  and  football,"  the  lady  murmured, 
"  and  not  too  patriotic,  and  a  vote,  and  let  them 
conspire  if  they  want  to,  and  the  soldiers  are 
'  chummy.'  Ach  !  We  cannot  do  that.  It  is  a 
matter  of  national  temperament,  I  suppose,  but  it 
is  sad,  very  sad.  Here  in  five  years  you  pacify 
your  enemy,  and  in  forty  years  we  have  not  begun 
to  pacify  ours  :  it  is  a  constant  fear — a  constant 
terror — one  expects  every  day  to  hear  that  war 
has  broken  out.  And  you  will  not  tell  us  your 
secret.  How  do  you  learn  to  govern  like  this  ? 
No,  it  is  impossible !  It  must  be,  as  I  said, 
national  temperament." 

She  sighed  and  cast  her  eyes  upward  and  walked 
away  looking  troubled. 


T* 


CHAPTER    VIII 

EDUCATION 

HOSE    ardent    military   Prussian   educa- 
tionalists    into     whose    hands     is     given 

-**•  the  instruction  of  the  tender  princeling 
usually  desire  to  develop  in  their  pupil  char- 
acteristics approximating  as  nearly  as  possible 
to  those  of  the  most  famous  Hohenzollern  of  his 
race,  Frederick  the  Great ;  and  since,  in  their 
estimation,  it  was  the  harsh  training  of  his  child- 
hood and  youth  which  stimulated  into  growth 
the  splendid  qualities  of  his  manhood,  they  strive 
to  reproduce  as  closely  as  they  can — of  course  in 
harmony  with  the  more  enlightened  ideas  of  the 
present  day — something  of  the  same  strenuous 
atmosphere  and  stern  conditions  which  surrounded 
that  celebrated  monarch  as  he  grew  up. 

The  ordinary  German  child  goes  to  school  at 
a  certain  age,  and  if  he  is  of  average  intelligence 
passes  from  one  class  to  another  according  to  the 
rules  laid  down  for  him,  securing  every  year  his 
"  remove,"  working  steadily  upward  to  his  ex- 
amination, after  which  he  goes  to  the  University,  or 
if  of  the  working  classes  to  the  earning  of  his  daily 
bread  until  the  age  for  military  service  ;  all  is 
preordained,  and  one  step  leads  naturally  to  the 
next.     In  theory  this  is  what  happens  to  a  prince- 

149 


150     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

ling  of  either  sex,  but  the  difficulties  in  the  way 
are  manifold  and  subtle  ;  chief  among  them  being 
the  multiplicity  of  persons  interested  in  his  edu- 
cation, most  of  whom  have,  or  think  they  have, 
paramount  authority  over  their  pupil.  Usually 
the  parents  of  a  child  arrange  how  it  shall  be 
educated,  and  kings  and  queens  are  no  exception 
to  this  rule,  but  it  is  the  admittance  of  the  State 
functionary  into  the  business  that  immediately 
complicates  matters.  Perhaps  nothing  is  worse 
for  any  young  child  than  to  perceive  that  there 
are  differences  of  opinion  about  his  treatment 
among  those  whom  he  must  obey. 

A  young  prince,  having  reached  the  age  of 
seven,  is  promoted  from  the  nursery  to  a  room 
of  his  own,  and  instead  of  the  ministrations  of 
the  faithful,  crabbed,  tyrannical,  loving  old  nurse, 
probably  of  English  nationality,  who  has  washed 
and  dressed  and  scolded  him  from  birth,  is  given 
over  to  the  care  of  a  well-meaning  but  inexperi- 
enced footman  and  the  supervision  of  a  well-bred, 
well-educated,  but  equally  inexperienced  young 
officer,  who,  imbued  with  stern  Prussian  notions 
of  discipline  and  a  complete  ignorance  of  childish 
needs,  is  prepared  to  do  his  duty  at  whatever 
cost  and  to  lay  the  first  foundations  of  a  training 
which  shall  ultimately  develop  in  his  pupil  the 
qualities  of  another  Frederick  the  Great.  It  is  a 
position  requiring  much  tact  on  both  sides,  but 
who  expects  tact  from  a  young  officer  ?  There 
is  the  royal  mamma  to  be  reckoned  with,  for  she 
considers  that  she  has  still  some  rights  in  her 
infant,  even  if  he  be  one  day  destined  to  wear 
a  crown  ;  and  among  various  other  people  let  us 


. 


EDUCATION  151 

not  forget  the  tutor,  full  of  theories  on  education 
which  he  is  yearning  to  put  into  practice. 

The  prince,  then,  is  installed  in  his  own  apart- 
ments of  the  palace,  where  he  has  his  bedroom,  sit- 
ting-room, and  schoolroom,  with  suitable  accommo- 
dation for  his  governor,  as  the  young  officer  who 
has  his  education  in  hand  is  officially  called,  his 
tutor  and  his  servants.  He  is  supposed  henceforth, 
in  the  rosy  dreams  of  the  governor,  to  be,  except 
at  occasional  meal-times  and  perhaps  a  scanty 
hour  in  the  evening,  entirely  sequestered  from  his 
family,  devoted  to  qualifying  himself  for  future 
renown  in  some  one  of  the  restricted  careers, 
military  for  choice,  open  to  royalty.  If  the  prince 
has  brothers  of  a  suitable  age  they  share  his 
rooms,  his  governor,  and  his  tutor,  and  are  en- 
couraged to  share  his  aspirations. 

The  tutor  draws  up  a  portentous  Stundenplan, 
which,  copied  by  the  footman  in  his  intervals  of 
leisure,  is  posted  up  in  various  conspicuous  places, 
so  that  there  is  no  excuse  for  not  knowing  the 
particular  study,  pause  from  study,  walk,  ride, 
or  drill  that  shall  be  taking  place  at  a  particular 
hour  or  minute.  The  hitherto  more  or  less  casual 
education  of  the  prince  now  gives  way  to  a  strictly 
regulated  regime.  He  begins  to  follow  the  ordinary 
curriculum  of  the  German  secondary  schools,  and 
knows  exactly  what  stage  he  has  reached  on  the 
ladder  of  learning;  for  every  child  in  Germany, 
be  he  prince  or  peasant,  educated  at  home  or 
at  school,  works  to  a  certain  universal  standard 
which,  whatever  may  be  its  drawbacks,  establishes 
a  curious  educational  bond  throughout  the  Empire 
and  is  eminently  characteristic  of  the  nation. 


152    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

The  tutor,  who  usually  resides  in  the  royal 
palace,  is  of  a  type  unknown  in  England.  He  is 
a  young  man,  often  a  Kandidat  for  the  ministry, 
but  by  no  means  curate-like  in  mind  or  appear- 
ance ;  he  has  passed  his  examination  at  a  uni- 
versity (which  does  not  necessarily  imply  a 
university  education),  and  gained  his  experience 
of  teaching  in  one  of  the  Government  boys'  or 
girls'  schools — for  all  State  schools  for  girls  in 
Germany  are  managed  and  mainly  taught  by 
men.  If  he  has  had  a  university  education  prob- 
ably the  only  trace  of  it  will  be  a  disfiguring  scar 
on  his  face,  relic  of  a  student's  duel,  of  which  he 
will  be  inordinately  proud  ;  but  if  he  is  going 
to  be  a  Pastor  the  scar  will  be  absent,  as  well  as 
the  year's  military  training  which  he  would 
otherwise  have  undergone — a  distinct  loss  for 
any  one  who  has  in  hand  a  prince  to  educate. 

A  volume  might  be  written  on  German  tutors, 
more  especially  on  those  employed  in  royal  house- 
holds. They  are  usually  solemn,  fleshy,  con- 
scientious young  men  in  black  frock-coats  and 
Cylinder  (top-hats),  who  in  a  few  years  develop 
an  alarming  embonpoint,  and  after  finishing  their 
work  of  implanting  in  princely  minds  a  sufficiency 
of  classics,  history,  and  mathematics,  retire  to 
other  spheres  of  labour,  provided  by  courtly 
influence — spheres  which  they  rarely  consider  to 
be  worthy  of  the  services  they  have  rendered. 
They  usually  know  nothing  at  all  of  sport,  though 
professing  to  know  a  good  deal,  as  in  their  vocabu- 
lary sport  is  only  another  name  for  exercise : 
they  fondly  imagine  that  the  man  who  trots  on 
horseback  every  morning  round  the  Tier-Garten, 


EDUCATION  153 

especially  if  he  wears  English  gaiters  and  carries 
a  hunting-crop,  is  a  sportsman,  and  consider 
any  game  "  sporting "  where  there  is  plenty  of 
running — even  if  no  demand  be  made  on  the 
courage,  decision,  quickness  or  other  mental 
qualifications  of  the  players.  They  are  unable 
to  grasp  the  sporting  idea,  which,  after  attempted 
explanation,  they  believe  to  be  a  figment  of  the 
English   imagination. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  thirteenth  birthday  of 
the  Princess  Victoria  Louise,  she  invited  the 
pupils  of  one  of  the  aristocratic  girls'  schools 
of  which  the  Empress  her  mother  is  patroness,  to 
have  tea  and  games  with  her  in  the  lovely  Wild- 
park,  close  to  the  New  Palace.  I  was  asked  to 
draw  up  a  programme  of  sports  for  the  occasion, 
as  the  games  usually  played  on  former  birthdays 
were  stigmatized  by  Her  Royal  Highness  as 
childish  and  silly  (' kindisch  und  albern"). 

So  a  list  of  various  obstacle  and  flat  races  was 
arranged,  as  well  as  potato,  egg- and- spoon,  and 
sack-races  (which  I  own  I  had  hesitated  to 
introduce,  fearing  they  were  hardly  fitting  for  the 
amusement  of  tender  female  German  aristocracy, 
but,  under  pressure  from  the  giver  of  the  feast, 
had  finally  included  in  the  programme). 

A  delightfully  smooth  grassy  spot  surrounded 
by  magnificent  fir  trees  was  the  place  chosen 
for  the  revels.  The  day  was  ideal  for  a  September 
picnic — one  of  those  warm,  mellow  autumn  after- 
noons with  magic  melting  blue  distances,  when 
departing  Summer  seems  to  put  on  her  loveliest 
attire  and  most  attractive  mood  before  saying 
her    final    farewell.      All    the    mosquitoes — that 


154    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

plague  of  Potsdam  in  summer — had  departed, 
the  fir-trees  distilled  their  resinous  balm  in  the 
sunshine,  which  played  in  flickering  light  and  shade 
on  their  red  sienna  stems  and  dark-green  masses 
of  foliage  ;  the  beeches  were  beginning  to  turn  a 
tawny  yellow,  while  there  was  a  fresh  sparkle  in 
the  air,  exhilarating  to  the  spirits  and  peculiarly 
appropriate,  it  was  felt,  to  the  performance  of  feats 
of  skill. 

Four  Kremserwagen  —  enormous  wagonettes, 
much  in  request  on  fete-days  in  Germany — brought 
the  smiling  loads  of  happy  maidenhood,  all  dressed 
in  their  neat  white-linen  uniform  dresses  and 
sailor  hats,  to  the  appointed  place.  There  were 
seventy  or  eighty  of  them  altogether,  besides  six 
teachers.  The  proceedings  began  with  tea,  and 
immediately  it  was  finished  the  joyous  crowd  of 
girls,  reinforced  by  some  other  young  princes 
and  princesses  who  came  accompanied  by  their 
tutors,  two  young  men  wearing  orthodox  top- 
hats  and  frock-coats  and  a  general  air  of  funereal 
respectability,  began  to  play  "  tag,"  "  drop- 
handkerchief,"  and  other  games  which  they  had 
confidently  expected  as  a  form  of  diversion  usual 
to  the  occasion.  But  they  were  soon  stopped  and 
told  that  a  totally  new  and  superior  form  of  enter- 
tainment had  been  provided  for  them,  founded  on 
English  principles,  of  which  I  was  to  be  the  organizer 
and  exponent. 

Nervous  apprehension  took  possession  of  my 
soul  as,  followed  by  the  radiantly  expectant 
"  Backfische,,y  I  wended  my  way  anxiously  to  our 
Sfiortplatz.  Here  the  hurdles,  corn-sacks,  and 
other  material  had  been  brought  from  the  palace 


EDUCATION  155 

stables  by  two  respectfully-interested  grooms,  who 
fondly  hoped  to  witness  the  English  sports  from 
a  suitable  distance,  but  were  remorselessly  sent 
away. 

The  ropes,  red  flags,  buckets,  eggs,  spoons  and 
other  things  were  regarded  with  excited  anticipa- 
tion and  wonderment — especially  the  basket  con- 
taining the  prizes,  which,  I  may  as  well  mention 
here,  cost  individually  not  more  than  twopence 
each,  collectively  just  eighteen  shillings — a  sum 
afterwards  refunded  to  us  by  Her  Majesty  the 
Empress,  who  thought  it  "  extremely  cheap  for 
so  much  joy,"  providing,  as  it  did,  more  than 
ninety  prizes. 

By  a  subtly-arranged  system  of  handicapping 
and  consolation  races  each  girl,  whatever  her 
abilities  in  the  domain  of  athletics,  was  eventually 
enabled  to  obtain  one  of  the  coveted  prizes,  pre- 
sented, it  is  needless  to  say,  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  proceedings  by  the  little  Princess  herself,  who, 
an  ardent  devotee  of  sport,  had  competed  with 
success  in  many  of  the  races,  waiving,  however, 
her  right  to  a  prize  in  favour  of  her  guests. 

This  untried  excursion  into  the  unknown  turned 
out  a  brilliant  success  from  every  point  of  view  ; 
the  teachers,  who  had  been  formed  into  a  Sports 
Committee,  with  quick  feminine  intuition  had 
immediately  grasped  their  duties,  which  they 
carried  out  with  the  greatest  intelligence  and 
impartiality  ;  the  girls  themselves  were  the  keen- 
est and  most  enthusiastic  I  ever  met ;  their 
achievements  in  the  sack-race — won  by  the  young 
Baroness  Irma  von  Kramm — must  have  been 
seen  to  be  believed   ("Is   this   a  usual   English 


156    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

sport  for  ladies  ?  "  asked  the  head-mistress,  as 
they  hopped  screaming  past  the  winning  post)  ; 
but  the  only  rift  within  the  lute  was  the  attitude 
of  the  tutors,  which,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  was 
decidedly  chilly.  Perhaps  they  felt  uncomfort- 
able in  the  midst  of  that  vortex  of  feminity,  or 
they  may  have  been  offended  at  not  being  on  the 
Committee,  or  that  they  were  not  invited  in  their 
manly  capacity  to  take  the  direction  of  affairs  ;  be 
that  as  it  may,  they  remained  austerely  aloof,  only 
occasionally  interfering  when  some  one  fell  down 
or  seemed  likely  to  get  overheated.  One  of  more 
genial  mood  than  his  fellows  had  stood  near  the 
hurdle  in  the  obstacle  race,  and  on  its  being 
knocked  over  had  proposed  to  substitute  in  its 
place  a  rope,  which,  as  he  pointed  out,  "  could  be 
easily  lowered  as  each  girl  jumped  it"  ;  but  his 
suggestion  meeting  with  no  approval,  rather  with 
general  derision  as  likely  to  make  a  mock  of  com- 
petitors, he  retired  from  all  further  active  partici- 
pation in  our  gambollings. 

The  sons  of  the  Emperor  were  unusually  fortunate 
in  their  Governor,  who  together  with  his  military 
training  possessed  the  broad-minded,  more  tolerant 
liberal  spirit  of  the  age,  and  knew  when  to  sink 
the  martinet  in  the  man.  He  was  able  to  realize 
that  the  formation  of  character  is  first  of  all  a 
development  from  within,  chiefly  moulded  by 
the  cast  of  the  minds  that  surround  it — a  growth 
of  mind  modified,  not  produced,  by  outward 
circumstances. 

The  Crown  Prince  and  his  brother  Prince  Fritz 
remained  only  for  a  very  short  time  under  his 
charge  before  going  on  to  the  university ;  but  the 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    AND    HIS    HEIR.    PRINCE   WILHEI.M 


EDUCATION  157 

younger  Princes  were  in  his  care  for  some  years 
at  Ploen,  where  I  was  once  invited  to  stay  for 
a  few  weeks  to  give  Prince  Joachim  lessons  in 
English. 

The  "Schloss"  where  the  Princes  lived  was  a 
large,  bright,  pleasant  country-house  standing  in 
pretty  but  not  large  grounds,  bordered  by  forest, 
on  the  edge  of  the  beautiful  Ploener  See.  From 
the  neighbouring  Kadetten-Schule,  where  the  boys 
undergo  a  semi-military  training,  four  to  six  cadets 
were  chosen  to  share  the  lessons  and  amusements 
of  the  Princes,  always  returning  to  the  Schule  to 
sleep. 

Ploen  is  a  very  small,  primitive  town,  so  small 
that  I  made  the  mistake  of  calling  it  a  "  village  " 
and  was  severely  reprimanded  by  Prince  Joachim 
for  my  blunder.  It  had  just  one  long  straggling 
street,  with  a  few  shops,  and  at  the  end  close  to 
the  lake  stood  the  Kadetten  Schule,  which  had 
formerly  been  the  residence  of  the  old  Danish 
Kings,  some  of  whose  bodies  lay  in  the  crypt  of 
the  little  chapel  adjoining — a  dismal  place,  full 
of  sarcophagi  huddled  together  in  mouldering 
oblivion. 

As  the  boys  were  occupied  all  morning  with 
their  other  studies,  I,  who  was  lodged  in  the 
Prinzen-Villa  under  the  fostering  care  of  the 
wife  of  the  private  detective,  had  nothing  to  do 
till  one  o'clock ;  and  the  Governor  kindly  allowed 
me  to  ride  one  of  his  two  horses  every  morning — 
fine  big  cavalry  chargers,  which  fled  away  with 
me  in  a  light-hearted  manner  over  the  tree-shaded 
roads  and  fields,  evidently  pleased  at  my  light 
weight  and  determined  that  I  should  have  a  good 


158     MEMORIES    OF   THE    KAISER'S    COURT 

time.  I  had  been  allowed  to  bring  my  side- 
saddle from  the  New  Palace :  "  the  very  first 
time,"  the  Master  of  the  Horse  assured  me,  "  that 
such  a  privilege  had  ever  been  granted  to  any 
lady  at  court."  He  jokingly  said  he  hoped  it 
would  not  establish  a  precedent,  and  I  said  I  hoped 
it  would.  The  stable  authorities  were  always  very 
amiable  and  courteous,  and  anxious  to  gratify 
my  taste  for  riding. 

These  morning  excursions  allowed  me  to  explore 
a  great  deal  of  the  neighbourhood,  which  I  should 
otherwise  have  been  unable  to  see.  All  this 
district  of  Holstein  is  rather  flat,  but  beautifully 
wooded,  with  many  lakes  which  add  a  wistful 
calm  beauty  to  the  sleepy  landscape.  There  is 
something  reminiscent  of  England  in  the  farm- 
houses and  the  hedgerows,  which  are  never 
seen  in  Brandenburg,  where  the  fields  are  un- 
fenced. 

At  one  o'clock  I  was  at  the  Schloss  for  luncheon, 
where  I  had  to  talk  English  with  the  Prince  and 
his  cadets — charming  boys,  some  of  whom  I  had 
met  in  Potsdam,  where  they  lived.  None  of  the 
tutors  knew  any  English,  though  one  of  them 
had  evidently  learned  some  from  a  book  which 
professed — without  fulfilling  its  profession — to 
teach  "  without  a  teacher." 

After  luncheon  the  boys,  including  the  Prince, 
who  was  then  about  fifteen,  all  went  with  me 
down  to  the  "island"  which  lay  in  the  lake,  and 
where  farming  operations  on  a  small  scale  were 
carried  on. 

A  long  narrow  road  led  to  the  island,  which  was 
really  a  peninsula,  and  there  everybody,  including 


EDUCATION  159 

the  Prince  and  myself,  engaged  in  the  occupa- 
tion— it  being  the  season  of  potato  harvest 
— of  digging  potatoes  out  of  the  ground  and 
gathering  them  into  heaps.  The  coachman  and 
footman  and  a  young  officer,  a  sort  of  deputy- 
governor,  all  assisted  in  this  work.  Some  geese 
came  along  and  gobbled  up  the  stray  small 
potatoes  we  threw  in  their  direction,  and  the  sun, 
reflected  from  the  lake  in  front,  shone  brightly 
on  us  as  we  toiled,  girt  round  with  potato-sacks 
to  keep  our  clothes  clean.  This  participation 
in  agricultural  pursuits  is  a  part  of  the  training 
devised  by  the  Governor,  but,  as  he  himself  was 
not  an  agriculturist,  I  doubt  whether  it  was 
really  as  beneficial  as  it  might  have  been.  The 
propagation  and  development  of  seeds,  the  rearing 
of  young  animals,  and  the  study  of  their  wants, 
would,  I  think,  have  been  less  monotonous  than 
this  incessant  potato  gathering,  which  we  pursued 
nearly  every  afternoon  while  I  was  there. 

At  five,  when  the  afternoon  train  to  Kiel  was 
seen  in  the  distance,  we  took  off  our  sack-aprons 
and  went  home  to  tea,  and  I  was  free  for  an  hour 
or  so,  when  I  gave  an  English  lesson  to  the  whole 
class  of  boys,  which  nearly  always  also  included 
their  Governor  and  the  officer  from  the  Schule 
who  was  teaching  them  English,  a  very  pleasant, 
kind  young  man,  who  sat  humbly  (metaphorically 
speaking)  at  my  feet  and  was  anxious  to  learn 
all  he  could.  They  had  been  reading  Dickens' 
"  Christmas  Carol  " — everybody  in  Germany  reads 
Dickens,  and  gets  quite  a  wrong  idea  of  present- 
day  English  life  from  his  books — but  I  produced 
Conan  Doyle's  "  Adventures  of  Brigadier  Gerard," 


160    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

as  being  in  my  opinion  more  suitable  for  boys,  as 
well  as  more  colloquial  and  military  in  tone.  I  never 
had  a  class  which  hung  so  much  on  my  words 
before.  As  they  all  spoke  with  a  very  bad  accent, 
I  read  to  them  myself,  so  that  they  could  hear 
English,  and  then  we  discussed  the  story  and  the 
meaning  of  obscure  words  and  phrases.  They 
were  very  alert  and  intelligent,  and  soon  became 
deeply   absorbed  in  the   "  Brigadier." 

Sometimes  in  the  mornings  after  my  ride  I  would 
walk  with  the  officer  who  taught  English  and 
converse  with  him,  so  that  he  might  have  the 
benefit  of  my  accent ;  and  once  he  took  me  to 
the  Schule  and  installed  me  in  his  class,  to  hear 
how  he  instructed  his  thirty  boys  there.  He  was 
a  most  intelligent  teacher,  and  spoke  very  correct 
English.  It  amused  me  to  hear  some  of  the 
pupils  reciting  "  Rule  Britannia "  out  of  their 
English  Reading-Books.  It  sounded  like  a  deri- 
sive challenge  as  they  declaimed  the  poem  with 
that  clear,  distinct  utterance  specially  cultivated 
in  all  German  schools.  I  could  with  difficulty 
keep  from  smiling  to  hear  a  young  German  piping 
its  bombastic  lines  : 

"  All  thine  shall  be  the  subject  main, 
And  every  shore  it  circles  thine. 
Rule  Britannia,  etc.," 

while  Kiel,  with  its  rapidly  increasing  war-fleet, 
lay  only  an  hour's  journey  away. 

But  they  were  very  pleasant  and  kindly,  all 
those  German  officers ;  they  showed  me  their 
class-rooms,  their  gymnasium,  everything  that 
they  thought  could  interest  me.     If  they  knew 


EDUCATION  161 

only  two  words  of  English  they  said  those  two  ; 
but  as  I  was  by  that  time  a  fairly  fluent  speaker 
of  German,  we  were  able  to  exchange  views  with- 
out any  difficulty.  That  rather  hard,  harsh, 
overbearing  Prussian  spirit  that  one  meets  in 
Berlin  here  seemed  softened  and  humanized, 
and  the  atmosphere  of  the  place  was  not  so  rigid 
and  mechanical  as  military  institutions  are  apt 
to  be.  It  is  true  that  the  boys,  whenever  ad- 
dressed, instantly  fell  into  those  stiff,  wooden 
military  attitudes  which  are  a  little  disconcerting 
to  unaccustomed  people,  squaring  their  shoulders, 
putting  their  heels  together  and  lifting  up  their 
chins  ;  but  when  one  got  used  to  it  it  was  not 
so  noticeable. 

The  general  impression  gained  from  the  military 
ideal  as  applied  to  education  in  Germany  is  that, 
while  excellently  thorough  and  practical,  it  yet 
ignores  too  much  those  other  world-forces  due  to 
science,  invention  and  discovery,  which  day  by 
day  are  changing  the  conditions  of  life  among  the 
nations — that  it  cherishes  a  spirit  more  suitable 
to  past  ages  than  to  present  progress.  It  seems 
to  breed  up  a  class  of  men  who  are  earnest,  loyal, 
and  self-sacrificing,  but  possess  extremely  narrow 
views,  who  see  and  judge  everything  from  a 
purely  military,  autocratic  standpoint,  and  are 
quite  unable  to  sympathize  with  or  understand 
the  aspirations  of  the  normal  human  being  to- 
wards personal  initiative  and  liberty  of  action. 

Crushed   as   a  nation   a  hundred  years   since, 
under  the  great  Napoleon,  the  members  of  this 
military  caste  are  still  ruled  by  the  fear  of  des- 
potism from  without,  and  ignore  the  despotism 
11 


162     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

within  of  their  own  creation,  still  fight  ideas  with 
physical  force,  hold  the  uniform  as  sacrosanct,  are 
overbearing,  touchy,  often  (with,  of  course,  many 
exceptions)  insufferably  vain  and  spiteful.  They 
realize  most  emphatically  that  they  are  the 
masters,  not  the  servants,  of  the  German  people  ; 
they  are  a  class  aloof,  apart,  a  class  wielding  tre- 
mendous social  and  political  power.  Sometimes 
it  seems  almost  a  pity  that  Carlyle  rediscovered 
the  virtues  of  that  "  iracund  Hohenzollern " 
Frederick  William  I.  So  many  latter-day  Prus- 
sians, without  possessing  his  sturdy  virtues, 
seem  to  model  their  conduct  on  his,  and  try  to 
impress  the  world  by  the  more  disagreeable, 
rather  than  the  more  praiseworthy  traits  of 
his  vivid  forceful  personality. 


CHAPTER    IX 

THE   BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN- 

FEST 

THE  Bauern-Haus  or  peasant  cottage  which 
the  Emperor  gave  to  his  daughter  at 
Christmas  was  built  and  ready  for  occu- 
pation by  the  time  she  returned  to  the  New  Palace 
in  the  spring.  It  was  solemnly  inaugurated, 
being  unlocked  by  the  Emperor  and  presented 
by  him  to  the  Princess,  who  was  overjoyed  at 
having  a  place  where  she  could  cook  and  wash 
clothes  to  her  heart's  content ;  for,  like  most  people 
of  royal  birth,  she  was  attracted  chiefly  towards 
those  occupations  in  which  she  was  least  likely 
ever  to  be  engaged. 

Before  the  advent  of  the  Bauern-Haus  we  had 
made  toffee  on  a  doll's  stove  in  a  doll's  saucepan, 
but  the  brocaded  chairs  and  sofas  of  the  rooms 
of  the  Prinzen-W ohnung  were  an  unsuitable  back- 
ground for  tentative  culinary  efforts,  and  the 
Princess  sensibly  remarked  that  grown-up  people 
had  not  dolls'  appetites  and  she  wanted  to  cook 
something  for   "  Papa." 

It  is  true  that,  having  a  cold,  he  had  partaken 
of  the  toffee  (which  turned  out  rather  soft)  with 
much  appreciation,  but  we  were  eager  to  prove 
ourselves  capable  of  higher  achievements. 

All    the    dolls'    crockery-ware,    saucepans    and 

163 


164     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

frying-pans  were  taken  over  to  the  Haus,  which 
was  built  in  one  of  the  side  gardens  a  little  distance 
from  the  Palace. 

The  first  time  we  indulged  there  in  an  orgie  of 
cooking,  the  Princess,  wishing  to  play  the  part 
properly,  donned  an  embroidered  peasant's  dress 
which  had  been  presented  to  her  by  the  good 
Bauevn-Volk  who  came  to  Donau-Eschingen.  We 
met  the  guard  on  our  way  to  the  garden.  They 
were  dreadfully  non-plussed  when  they  first 
caught  sight  of  her  in  this  costume,  not  being 
sure  if  it  really  was  the  Princess  or  not,  but  finally 
decided  to  render  the  customary  honours.  The 
wearer  of  the  dress  had  thrown  herself  so  entirely 
into  the  part  of  Bauern-jrau  that  this  obvious 
anachronism  annoyed  her  extremely.  She  found 
the  costume,  moreover,  rather  tight  and  hot,  and 
not  very  practical  for  beating  eggs  in,  and  there- 
fore decided  not  to  wear  it  again  when  she  really 
wanted  to  work. 

As  I  was  the  only  lady  in  the  Palace  having  the 
faintest  theoretical  or  practical  idea  of  the  art  of 
cooking,  I  was  chosen  to  guide  the  children  in 
their  first  attempts.  Two  footmen  preceded  us, 
carrying  firewood,  matches  and  coal,  with  which 
they  were  to  start  the  little  tiled  stove,  while 
half  a  dozen  children  followed  with  flour,  eggs, 
butter,  milk,  and  other  materials,  all  of  which  had 
been  commandeered  from  the  royal  kitchens. 

The  stoutest  heart  might  have  quailed,  the 
best  cook  in  the  world  might  have  trembled,  at 
the  enterprise  I  had  undertaken.  To  cook,  or 
rather  to  teach  a  lot  of  riotous,  screaming  children 
to  cook — on  a  stove  whose  capacities  were  not 


BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST    165 

yet  known,  in  a  kitchen  supplied  chiefly  with 
inadequate  and  doll-like  utensils — a  sort  of  com- 
bined tea  and  supper  to  which  an  Emperor  and 
Empress  and  goodness  knew  how  many  more 
people  had  been  hospitably,  but  I  could  not  but 
feel  recklessly,  invited ! 

It  was  very  hot.  Mosquitoes  swarmed  every- 
where. The  chimney  smoked  relentlessly  till 
one  of  the  footmen  discovered  a  damper.  The 
wood  was  wet.  There  was  no  water,  no  knives 
and  forks,  and  we  had  forgotten  the  salt ;  but  the 
affair  had  to  be  a  success,  and  we  set  out  perse- 
veringly  to  carry  it  through. 

The  Princess  had  decided  that  we  would  have 
pancakes  for  tea — the  usual  English  kind  made 
with  eggs  and  milk — and  the  six  children  were 
accordingly  sent  outside  on  to  the  verandah  to 
beat  eggs,  while  I  tried  to  review  my  forces  and 
collect  a  few  ideas — a  dreadful  business  with  a 
swarm  of  children,  asking  questions  in  the  rather 
loud-voiced  German  way,  running  up  to  show 
their  eggs,  or  spilling  them  on  the  floor,  while 
not  a  single  cup  or  saucer  was  as  yet  in  its  place. 

By  some  miraculous  means  we  managed  to  ice 
a  cake  with  chocolate — a  sheer  tour-de-force  of 
inventive  genius,  for  I  had  never  done  such  a  thing 
before  in  my  life.  We  cut  quantities  of  very  thin 
bread  and  butter,  at  which  one  of  the  footmen 
displayed  unsuspected  dexterity.  The  much- 
beaten  eggs  duly  mixed  with  flour  and  milk  made 
excellent  pancakes.  Each  child  had  "tasted" 
of  them  liberally,  pronouncing  them  "  Gross- 
artig  !    Prachtvoll  !  " 

All  too  soon  the  Emperor  and  Empress  were  seen 


166    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

wending  their  way  in  our  direction,  accompanied,  to 
the  Princess's  great  indignation,  by  two  adjutants. 

"  I  never  invited  the  gentlemen,"  she  said  in 
tones  of  annoyance;  "there  won't  be  half  enough 
pancakes  to  go  round." 

I  remained  discreetly  in  the  background  in 
the  kitchen,  concentrating  my  mind  on  frying. 
The  tea  was  good  because  it  was  just  freshly 
made,  and  the  pancakes  for  the  same  reason,  hot 
from  the  fire  and  spared  the  usual  long  journey 
down  the  tunnel  from  the  Palace  kitchens,  were, 
in  spite  of  the  inadequate  doll's  plates  on  which 
they  had  perforce  to  be  served,  crisp  and  tooth- 
some. 

The  Emperor  ate  with  the  greatest  appetite 
and  appreciation,  praising  his  daughter's  cooking, 
and  obviously  believing,  in  the  usual  facile  masculine 
way,  that  she  had  suddenly  acquired  this  difficult 
art.  I  heard  her  holding  forth  on  the  necessity 
of  beating  the  eggs  severely  for  ten  minutes  at 
least  (she  did  not  mention  those  which  had  escaped 
from  the  basin  to  the  ground)  and  talking  at  large 
with  the  air  of  a  person  who  had  plumbed  all  the 
depths  of  culinary  difficulties. 

"  Yes,  of  course  they  stick  to  the  pan  if  you 
don't  put  lots  of  butter — lots  and  lots."  We  had 
indeed  used  several  pounds. 

I  think  His  Majesty  accounted  for  four  pan- 
cakes and  then  concentrated  on  chocolate  cake 
and  bread-and-butter,  after  which  the  Empress 
noticed  my  absence,  and  I  was  compelled  re- 
luctantly to  appear — very  red-faced  and  greasy — 
and  modestly  accept  the  Imperial  congratulations 
on  my  successful  efforts.     Room  was  made  for 


BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST    167 

me  to  sit  down  with  the  rest,  and  the  chocolate 
cake  was  warmly  recommended  to  my  attention. 

"  Fancy  an  Englishwoman  knowing  how  to 
cook  !  "    said  the  Emperor,  laughing. 

I  respectfully  but  firmly  pointed  out  that  not 
a  single  German  lady  inhabiting  the  palace  con- 
fessed to  any  culinary  knowledge  whatever.  They 
had  all  been  approached  on  the  subject,  and  their 
ideas  were  found  hazy  and  vague  in  the  extreme. 
Not  one  had  been  in  a  position  to  help^m  that 
strenuous  afternoon's  work.  (His  Majesty  is 
subject  to  the  illusion  that  all  German  women 
are  extremely  domesticated.)  The  Emperor's  blue 
eyes  twinkled. 

"Ah,  ah!"  he  laughed,  "the  British  'Dread- 
nought '   again  to  the  fore." 

That  was  his  favourite  name  for  me.  It  had 
been  bestowed  on  the  birthday  of  the  Princess — 
the  only  one  of  those  anniversaries  on  which  the 
Emperor  was  present,  for  he  was  usually  away 
at  the  autumn  manoeuvres  on  that  date  (Sep- 
tember 13),  but  this  one  year  he  happened  to 
be  at  home.  Although  as  a  rule  only  one  of 
the  three  ladies  of  the  Princess,  German,  French, 
or  English,  accompanied  her  to  the  Fruhstiicks- 
tafel,  on  this  occasion  in  honour  of  the  day  all 
were  invited,  and  as  we  followed  her  into  the  dining- 
room  an  adjutant  remarked  in  the  Emperor's 
hearing  upon  Prinzessin' s  Geschwader  (Princess's 
Squadron),  referring  to  ourselves. 

This  epithet  as  applied  to  the  trio  amused  His 
Majesty  greatly,  and  he  tried  during  the  meal 
to  fit  us  all  three  with  appropriate  nautical 
names,  one — the  German  Ober-Gouvernante — being 


168     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

called  the  "  tug,"  Mademoiselle  the  "  torpedo- 
boat,"  while  amid  the  hilarity  of  the  assembled 
company  he  decided  that  "  Dreadnought "  was 
the  term  which  best  applied  to  me ;  and  although 
the  two  other  ladies  escaped  any  further  reference 
to  their  supposed  prototypes,  I  was  not  so  fortu- 
nate, for  the  name  "  Dreadnought  "  stuck  to  me 
thenceforth.  When  I  appeared  in  a  new  hat  or 
dress  His  Majesty  would  whimsically  remark, 
"  Here  comes  the  Dreadnought  in  a  new  coat  of 
paint,"  or  some  equally  embarrassing  observation. 
Perhaps  I  was  considered  to  be  uncompromisingly 
British,  or  representative  of  my  nation,  but  when 
the  Princess  curled  her  arm  round  my  neck  and  mur- 
mured, "  Good  old  Dreadnought !  "  I  did  not  mind 
the  epithet  so  much,  and  grew  in  time  to  like  it. 

It  was  at  the  same  Fruhstucks-tafel  that  we 
three  ladies  for  the  first  and  only  time  in  our  lives 
had  the  privilege  of  "  taking  wine "  with  His 
Majesty.  Usually  on  birthdays  and  anniversaries 
of  various  kinds  it  is  a  custom  at  court  to  stand 
up  and  clink  glasses  together  before  drinking, 
but  this  is  not  often  done  when  the  Emperor 
is  present.  He  sometimes  "  drinks  wine  "  with 
any  particular  gentleman  whom  he  wishes  to 
honour,  who  stands  up,  takes  his  full  glass  in  his 
hand,  bows  to  the  Emperor,  and  empties  it  at  a 
draught  before  sitting  down  again.  I  had  never 
seen  a  lady  invited  to  "  take  wine "  with  His 
Majesty,  and  believed  it  to  be  a  privilege  reserved 
for  the  sterner  sex  ;  but  while  I  was  chatting  to 
an  officer  at  table,  the  one  on  the  other  side,  he 
who  had  called  us  a  Geschwader,  touched  my  arm 
and    whispered    "  His    Majesty   wishes   to    drink 


BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST    169 

wine  with  you.  Aufgestanden  und  Ausgetrunken  ! 
(standing,    and  no  heel-taps  !) " 

The  Emperor  was  smiling  in  my  direction,  glass 
in  hand ;  so  I  stood  up  at  once  with  my  champagne 
glass  filled  to  the  brim  (fortunately  I  habitually 
replenished  it  with  water  every  time  I  drank) 
and  was  able  to  toss  it  off  very  creditably,  thanks 
to  the  adjutant's  kindly  hint  and  the  comparative 
innocuousness  of  the  beverage.  His  Majesty  also 
"  took  wine,"  of  course,  with  the  other  ladies  of 
the  Geschwader. 

The  Bauern-Haus  remained  for  several  years  a 
centre  of  joyous-hearted  hospitality  and  reckless 
and  extravagant  cookery.  Once  the  two  cousins 
of  the  Princess  came  over  from  Glienicke  to  help  to 
prepare  supper,  accompanied  by  a  French  gover- 
ness and  an  elegantly-attired  tutor  in  a  top-hat 
and  frock-coat.  There  was  no  place  in  our  cookery 
scheme  into  which  the  tutor  fitted.  So  we  sent 
him  and  the  French  lady  to  walk  about  the  gardens 
together,  while  the  children,  in  a  glow  of  enthu- 
siasm, sat  down  to  peel  potatoes  for  an  Irish 
stew.  Prince  Leopold  (the  cousin)  insisted — in 
spite  of  advice  to  the  contrary — in  also  trying 
to  peel  the  onions ;  but  after  weeping  copious 
tears  over  the  first  one,  allowed  somebody  else  to 
finish.  Besides  the  stew,  we  had  chops,  poached 
eggs,  pancakes,  and  lemonade. 

The  Empress,  in  a  very  light,  elegant  toilette, 
arrived  at  an  acute  stage  of  activity,  when  every 
child  was  running,  shrieking,  clattering  glasses, 
or  spilling  water,  while  the  sputter  of  chops  and 
pancakes  and  the  reek  of  their  frying  filled  the 
small  kitchen  to  repletion. 


170    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Fortunately  we  had  long  since  been  supplied 
with  full-sized  cooking  utensils  and  the  doll- 
things  had  been  scrapped. 

A  heavy  thunderstorm  once  threatened  at  the 
very  moment  when  the  supper  had  reached  the 
culminating  point  of  perfection.  We  had  fried 
our  pancakes  (they  were  a  favourite  dish  and 
always  appeared  on  the  menu)  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  rumbles  of  thunder  and  blue  flashes 
of  lightning,  but  the  Princess  ignored  the  gathering 
storm,  absorbed  in  the  mixing  of  her  batter  and 
the  smoothness  of  her  potato  puree.  As  I  emerged 
in  a  decidedly  heated  state  from  the  kitchen,  I 
caught  a  mental  picture,  which  still  remains  in  my 
memory,  of  a  protesting  footman  standing  on  the 
veranda  pointing  to  the  darkened  heavens,  and 
of  the  Princess  with  a  fork  in  her  hand,  which  she 
flourished  in  one  hand  towards  the  sky  (like 
another  Ajax  defying  the  lightning),  while  she 
emphatically  refused  to  return  to  the  house  before 
supper  was  eaten. 

"  Our  beautiful  supper,"  she  said:  "no,  I  won't 
go  in.  The  storm's  nothing.  It's  going  over." 
Crashes  of  thunder  punctuated  the  sentence. 

A  harassed  Ober-Gouvernante  appeared  round 
the  bushes  and  commanded  our  instant  return 
to  the  palace ;  but  after  several  minutes  of  heated 
discussion  the  storm  actually  did  pass  over,  and 
our  supper  was  eaten  to  the  sound  of  its  faint 
rumbling  retreat  towards  the  river. 

Another  time  we  ventured  to  make  vanilla- 
ice,  and  sent  to  the  kitchen  for  the  ice-machine. 
As  we  were  mixing  the  milk  and  eggs  and  vanilla 
flavouring,  four  white-capped  cooks  in  their  spot- 


BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST    171 

less  kitchen  livery  were  seen  dragging  along  some 
sort  of  wheeled  vehicle  on  which  reposed  the 
heavy  ice-machine,  which  we  found  to  our  astonish- 
ment to  be  an  apparatus  almost  as  large  as  a 
piano. 

It  was  lifted  down — as  a  matter  of  fact  I  think 
two  cooks  might  have  managed  it — and  the  guests 
took  turns  at  the  handle  with  such  goodwill  that 
unfortunately  we  rather  overdid  it,  and  the  iced 
custard  became  of  such  a  hard  rock-like  con- 
sistency that  we  had  to  thaw  it  a  little  before  it 
was  fit  to  eat.  But  it  was  pronounced  "  quite 
delicious,"  and  we  were  sorry  we  had  not  made 
a   larger   quantity. 

Pfingsten,  as  Whitsuntide  is  called  in  Germany, 
is  celebrated  by  many  pleasant  customs.  It  is 
the  season  when  all  the  village  people  place  big 
boughs  of  young  larch  on  each  side  of  the  doorway 
to  welcome  the  returning  spring.  Every  street 
breaks  out  into  a  sudden  growth  of  unaccustomed 
greenery,  and  in  the  churches  young  larch  trees 
cut  from  the  hill-side  are  placed  on  each  side  of 
the  altar. 

In  the  New  Palace  the  garrison  celebrated  Whit 
Monday  by  the  Schrifipen-Fest,  a  dinner  instituted 
by  Frederick  the  Great  for  their  benefit.  All  the 
previous  week  the  soldiers  might  have  been  seen 
busily  at  work  in  their  spare  time  making  the 
long  green  garlands  of  pine  and  fir  twigs  with 
which  every  good  German  loves  to  give  outward 
expression  of  his  inward  joy.  They  erected  round 
the  arcade  of  the  "Communs"  plank  tables  and 
benches  covered  with  a  wooden  roof  upheld  by 
posts  round  which  the  garlands  were  entwined. 


172    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Early  on  the  morning  of  Whit  Monday  big  copper 
cauldrons  containing  beef,  prunes  and  rice,  were 
set  boiling  out  of  doors. 

Originally  the  feast  had  begun  in  a  small  way 
by  the  distribution  to  the  soldiers  of  Schrippen, 
or  small  loaves  of  white  bread,  but  in  the  course 
of  years  it  had  developed  into  a  substantial  meal. 

To  the  Schrippen -Fest  the  whole  Diplomatic 
Corps  and  many  officers  and  ladies  are  invited, 
and  there  is  a  gay  assemblage  of  people  at  the 
military  service  for  the  garrison,  which  takes 
place  out  of  doors,  under  the  trees  at  one  end  of 
the  palace.  After  it  is  finished  the  Emperor 
and  Empress,  with  their  family  and  guests,  go  to 
partake  of  the  feast  with  the  soldiers.  They  do 
not  as  a  rule  sit  down,  but  eat  their  meat  and 
prunes  standing.  All  the  ladies  in  their  trained 
silk  dresses,  the  ambassadors,  generals,  and 
adjutants  in  their  uniforms,  are  served  with  a 
plateful  of  boiled  beef,  and  eat  it  wherever  they 
can  find  elbow-room.  When  Their  Majesties  have 
finished,  they  walk,  followed  by  the  assembled 
company,  down  between  the  tables,  inspecting 
the  soldiers  and  asking  them  questions.  "  Where 
do  you  come  from  ?  How  long  have  you  served  ? 
Have  you  had  a  good  dinner  ?  "  seem  to  be  the 
stock  questions,  varied  by  inquiries  as  to  name, 
father's  business,  and  any  other  queries  that 
seem  to  fit  the  occasion. 

Here  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  Emperor 
and  his  family  possess  in  an  unusual  degree  what 
Kipling  calls  the  "  common  touch."  They  know 
how  to  talk  to  poor  men,  working  men,  without 
any  shadow  of   that  patronizing  affability  often 


THE   KAISER   AND    HIS    ELDEST   GRANDSON 


BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST    173 

mistakenly  employed  by  one  class  when  trying  to 
be  nice  to  another  which  is  not  on  the  same  social 
plane. 

An  absolutely  frank  and  unreserved  interest 
in  other  people's  affairs  is  implied  in  their  con- 
versation, an  obvious  desire  really  to  know  some- 
thing of  the  conditions  of  other  people's  lives. 
It  is  not  perfunctory,  though  it  easily,  perhaps, 
might  become  so,  especially  in  view  of  the  thou- 
sands of  soldiers  and  other  people  to  whom  the 
Emperor  talks  in  the  course  of  a  year.  The 
Princess  herself  from  childhood  always  had  the 
happy  knack  of  choosing  the  right  thing  to  say 
to  the  poorest  children  she  met.  She  always 
wanted  to  know  their  names,  how  many  brothers 
and  sisters  they  had,  what  class  they  were  in  at 
school,  and  what  they  were  going  to  be  when 
they  grew  up.  One  small  boy  confessed  once  to 
a  desire  to  be  a  "  chimney  sweep."  Never  was 
she  at  a  loss  for  something  appropriate  to  say  to 
the  most  cross-grained  and  morose  of  her  fellow- 
mortals  ;  she  never  appeared  to  be  shy,  but,  ap- 
parently quite  at  her  ease  herself,  made  every  one 
else  feel  the  same.  She  was  not  a  devoted  student 
of  books,  but  possessed  initiative  and,  as  far  as 
her  experience  went,  correct  judgment — two  in- 
valuable qualities  where  princes  are  concerned. 

About  a  mile  from  the  New  Palace  lived  the 
only  unmarried  sister  of  the  Empress,  the  Princess 
Feodora  of  Schleswig-Holstein,  a  woman  of  many 
intellectual  gifts  and  a  very  striking  and  interesting 
personality,  possessing  great  influence  over  the 
children  of  her  sister,  who  spent  much  time  in 
"  Tante  Feo's"  beloved  society.     Her  ideas  were 


174    MEMORIES   OF  THE  KAISER'S   COURT 

very  democratic.  She  detested  the  atmosphere 
of  courts  and  all  the  restrictions  and  ceremonies 
incident  to  court  existence.  She  was  a  very 
clever  artist,  and  author  of  several  books  dealing 
with  the  life  of  the  peasantry  and  showing  a 
marvellous  insight  into  their  methods  of  thought. 

Her  home  was  for  some  years  in  a  large  farm- 
house belonging  to  the  Crown  known  as  "  Born- 
stedter  Gut,"  lived  in  for  some  time  by  the  Emperor 
and  Empress  Frederick.  The  ground-floor  was 
inhabited  by  the  bailiff  and  his  family.  The  rest 
of  the  house  belonged  to  the  Princess,  to  whom 
it  had  been  lent  by  her  brother-in-law  the  German 
Emperor,  with  whom  she  was  a  great  favourite, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  on  nearly  every  possible 
subject  their  views  clashed  uncompromisingly. 
She  furnished  it  all  according  to  her  own  taste, 
doing  her  shopping  in  Berlin  like  any  ordinary 
Biirger-frau  among  the  crowd  of  other  buyers. 
She  loved  the  realities  of  life,  and  refused  to  have 
things  made  easier  for  her  because  she  was  the 
sister  of  the  Empress.  Only  seven  years  older 
than  her  eldest  nephew,  the  Crown  Prince,  she 
was  from  childhood  the  delightful  play-fellow  of 
the  children  of  the  Empress  and  of  her  other 
sisters,  Princess  Frederick  Leopold  of  Prussia  and 
the  Duchess  of  Schleswig-Holstein. 

I  first  saw  her  at  Bornstedt,  where  I  had  come 
to  fetch  my  little  Princess,  who  had  been  spending 
the  afternoon  with  her  aunt.  The  carriage  I  was 
in  drove  past  a  big  farm-yard,  where  waggon- 
horses  were  being  harnessed,  up  to  the  door  of  a 
big  stone  house  pleasantly  shaded  by  chestnut 
trees.     As   I   got   out   of  the   carriage  a  sudden 


BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST    175 

irruption  of  screaming  children,  boys  and  girls 
of  all  ages  in  a  state  of  extreme  heat  and  un- 
tidiness, among  whom  I  recognized  my  Princess, 
burst  from  the  dark  doorway  of  a  cow-house,  and 
trampling  and  stumbling  over  heaps  of  farm- 
yard litter,  fled  with  shrieks  up  a  perpendicular 
ladder  into  a  hay-loft.  They  were  followed  at  a 
short  interval  by  a  lady  clad  in  a  tweed  skirt,  a 
striped  blouse  and  a  Panama  hat,  who  likewise 
flew  up  the  ladder  with  remarkable  agility  and 
disappeared.  Uproarious  screams  were  presently 
heard  issuing  from  the  loft.  They  were  evidently 
playing  Versteckens,  and  my  coachman  confided 
to  me  that  the  lady  of  the  ladder  was  Princess 
Feodora  herself. 

The  Princess  disliked  the  ordinary  court  circle, 
with  its  cramped,  narrow  views,  and  loved  to 
surround  herself  with  clever,  unconventional 
people,  whatever  their  rank  in  life.  With  her 
it  was  a  positive  obsession  that  all  her  royal 
nephews  and  nieces  should  know  life  as  it  really 
was,  not  as  seen  blurred  and  transformed  through 
a  court  atmosphere,  with  the  hideous,  ugly 
realities  of  existence  hidden  away  and  covered 
up.  She  taught  them  many  perhaps  disagreeable 
truths  about  themselves,  which  they  would  have 
heard  from  no  one  else.  The  trend  of  modern 
thought  and  contemporary  politics  both  found  in 
her  an  earnest  and  intelligent  student.  With 
poverty,  with  humble  folk,  she  had  an  intense 
sympathy,  a  passionate  tenderness  for  all  simple 
struggling  existences. 

Although  possessing  a  conspicuous  sense  of 
humour,  in  her  books  she  wrote  only  of  the  sombre 


176    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

side  of  life,  the  bare  starving  sand-dunes  of  her 
native  Holstein,  the  resinous  breath  of  its  pine- 
woods,  the  chill  sad  beat  on  the  shore  of  its 
grey  sea-waves.  She  depicted  the  strenuous  toil, 
the  unrelieved  labour,  the  sordid  existence  and 
struggles  of  the  peasantry. 

"  The  only  truths  in  life,"  she  makes  one  of 
her  characters  say,  "  are  founded  upon  Work. 
Everything  else  is  false." 

In  "  Tante  Feo's"  company  the  little  Princess 
had  the  privilege  of  seeing  the  first  aeroplane 
flight  of  her  life  made  by  Orville  Wright,  who  had 
installed  himself  and  his  machine  on  the  Born- 
stedter  Feld,  where  he  was  instructing  the  German 
officers  in  the  art  of  flying. 

One  day  at  the  end  of  September  1909  came 
a  telephone  message  from  one  of  the  Princes  in 
Potsdam,  saying  that  Orville  Wright  was  flying 
on  the  "Feld."  Without  delay  two  "  autos " 
were  ordered  by  Her  Majesty,  one  for  herself  and 
her  sister  and  the  Princess,  the  other  for  the  suite  ; 
and  the  palace  buzzed  like  a  hive  while  footmen 
flew  about  summoning  the  ladies  to  get  ready  at 
once.  The  two  professors  who  ought  to  have 
been  instructing  the  Princess  in  literature  and 
history  were  sent  off  to  the  scene  of  action  in  a 
carriage  (a  propitiatory  proceeding  suggested,  I 
believe,  by  the  Princess  herself,  who  never  failed  to 
display  a  certain  diplomatic  tact),  while  Made- 
moiselle and  I  huddled  on  our  out-door  things 
and  tied  motor-veils  with  tremblingly  excited 
fingers.  It  was  de  rigueur  to  get  excited  over 
flying,  and  nothing  annoyed  the  Princess  more 
than  an  attitude  of  philosophic  calm. 


BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST    177 

We  picked  up  Prince  August  Wilhelm  and 
Prince  George  of  Greece  on  the  way,  and  sped 
onwards  to  the  big  cavalry-exercise  ground,  over 
which  the  cars  bumped  at  a  furious  pace.  When 
we  arrived,  however,  there  was  no  sign  of 
Mr.  Wright.  A  gentleman  appeared,  who  announced 
with  a  pronounced  American  accent  that  all 
flying  was  finished  for  that  day,  as  the  police 
had  gone  home  again  and  there  was  no  one  to 
keep  the  crowd  from  straying  on  to  the  ground. 
But  Her  Majesty  particularly  wished  Princess  Feo 
to  see  a  flight,  as  she  was  going  away  the  same 
evening,  and  there  was  a  discussion  as  to  whether 
soldiers  should  be  summoned  from  the  adjacent 
barracks  to  keep  the  course.  The  American 
gentleman  seemed  to  think  that  would  make  no 
difference  to  Mr.  Wright,  but  at  last  a  man 
was  sent  to  his  tent  to  announce  Her  Majesty's 
arrival,  and  presently  he  came  along  buttoning 
up  his  leather  jacket  as  he  walked — a  quiet, 
taciturn  individual  who  spoke  in  rather  a  soft, 
gentle  voice  when  he  spoke  at  all,  which  was 
not  often. 

Some  policemen  on  bicycles  had  materialized 
out  of  the  surrounding  landscape,  and  began  to 
drive  the  crowd  back  to  the  road,  where  they 
were  kept  penned  up  by  the  arm  of  the  law  while 
we  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  field  to  watch  the 
flight. 

A  few  days  later  the  Emperor  himself  went  with 
the  Empress  and  Princess  to  see  Wright  fly.  It 
was  the  middle  of  October,  when  the  days  are 
getting  short,  and  there  had  been  some  delay  in 
starting,  so  that  as  the  cars  tore  on  to  the  Feld 
12 


178    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

the  sun  was  setting  in  great  clouds  of  scarlet  and 
purple,  and  night  fast  approaching.  Wright  was 
waiting  beside  his  machine,  and  after  a  word  with 
the  Emperor  put  on  his  jacket  and  goggles,  and 
in  a  few  seconds  the  motor  began  to  hum  steadily, 
the  propellers  whizzed  round,  and  the  huge 
machine  moved  along  smoothly  and  swiftly  up  into 
the  darkening  heavens.  Its  wide-spread  planes 
showed  blackly  for  a  moment  against  the  intense 
sunset  background,  then  it  went  droning  round 
the  immense  space,  rising  higher  and  higher 
towards  the  stars,  which  were  now  shining  brightly 
in  the  deep  blue  of  the  sky.  For  nearly  half  an 
hour,  away  above  our  heads,  the  machine  circled 
and  dived  and  rose  again,  humming  smoothly 
and  sleepily  in  the  distance,  then  coming  nearer 
with  a  threatening  murmur,  to  rise  and  disappear 
again  into  the  darkness,  reappearing  presently 
like  a  gigantic  moth.  At  last  it  descended, 
dropping  lightly  within  a  few  feet  of  us.  The 
crowd  on  the  edge  of  the  field  cheered  heartily. 

The  Emperor  and  Empress  congratulated 
Wright,  and  there  was  a  great  explanation  of 
"  how  it  was  done,"  though  most  of  the  officers 
found  a  difficulty  in  understanding  the  American 
accent.  Presently  a  signed  photograph  of  the 
Emperor,  which  one  of  the  adjutants  had  been 
carrying,  was  produced  and  given  to  Wright  by 
His  Majesty;  and  then  a  lady  who  had  been 
modestly  hovering  in  the  background — Miss 
Katherine  Wright,  the  aeronaut's  sister — was 
called  up  and  presented,  and  she  took  charge  of 
the  photograph  and  made  delightful  American 
remarks  about  it.     By  this  time  it  was  absolutely 


BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST    179 

dark,  but  the  powerful  acetylene  lights  of  the 
three  cars  illuminated  the  scene.  The  Emperor 
could  not  tear  himself  away  from  the  aeroplane, 
the  first  he  had  yet  seen ;  and  while  he  was  still 
asking  questions  I  talked  with  Miss  Wright,  an 
extremely  charming  woman,  who  said  that  this 
was  probably  her  brother's  last  flight  on  German 
soil.  They  had  already  stayed  a  day  longer 
than  intended,  so  that  he  might  fly  before  the 
Emperor,  before  departing  for  Paris  and  London 
en  route  for  America. 

For  a  long  time  in  Germany  the  air-ships — the 
"Zeppelins"  as  they  are  popularly  called — occu- 
pied the  popular  imagination  much  more  than 
the  flying-machines  with  which  the  Germans  have 
recently  won  such  distinction.  Once  in  the  earlier 
years  of  Zeppelin's  monster  air-craft  a  message 
came  to  the  court  that  he  was  flying  from  Frank- 
fort to  Berlin,  which  he  would  reach  somewhere 
about  five  o'clock  that  afternoon.  There  was 
the  usual  hurrying  to  and  fro.  The  Emperor, 
Empress,  Princess  and  suite  hurled  themselves 
into  motor-cars  and  hurried  towards  Berlin,  but 
after  waiting  several  hours  on  the  Tempelhofer 
Feld,  with  nothing  to  eat  and  not  much  to  do, 
they  returned  without  a  glimpse  of  any  air-ship, 
as  the  rumours  of  its  coming  had  been  entirely 
unfounded. 

However,  later  on  in  the  year  Zeppelin  an- 
nounced his  intention  to  bring  his  air-ship  to 
Berlin. 

On  the  day  fixed  all  the  shops  were  closed  at 
noon,  and  the  whole  population  turned  out  and 
walked  up  and  down  the  street  with  their  eyes 


180    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

fixed  heavenwards  towards  the  lovely  blue  sky, 
for  the  weather  was  superb. 

Every  lady  or  gentleman  having  any  connec- 
tion with  the  court  was  invited  by  ticket  either 
to  the  Tempelhofer  Feld,  at  which  the  air-ship 
was  to  descend,  or  to  the  roof  of  the  Schloss 
itself,  as  the  Zeppelin  was  to  manoeuvre  round 
the  building.  But  towards  noon,  just  as  all  the 
excursion  trains  from  the  country  had  brought 
in  the  surrounding  inhabitants  to  swell  the  already 
dense  crowd  of  sky-gazers,  a  special  edition  of  the 
newspapers  was  issued  announcing  an  injury  to 
the  airship  which  prevented  further  flight.  So 
every  one  went  sadly  home  again. 

The  next  day,  Sunday,  news  came  that  the 
defect  had  been  repaired  and  that  the  airship 
with  Count  Zeppelin  on  board  would  appear 
about  noon.  This  change  of  plan  was  rather 
inconvenient  for  several  reasons,  for  there  was  a 
newly  restored  church  to  be  dedicated  in  the 
presence  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  and  the 
chief  military  authorities.  A  gentleman  in  attend- 
ance said  hat  never  before  had  he  seen  such 
an  obviously  distracted  congregation  at  any 
church  function.  The  long-drawn-out  service, 
the  long-winded  address  (German  sermons  are  of 
the  old-fashioned  type  and  usually  last  at  least 
an  hour)  were  listened  to  with  hardly  concealed 
impatience  and  lack  of  interest ;  and  the  clergy 
themselves  seemed  to  keep  one  ear  turned  towards 
that  heaven  to  which  they  were  directing  their 
audience,  in  apprehension  of  hearing  before  they 
had  finished  their  discourse  that  mighty  droning 
which  would  proclaim  Zeppelin's  arrival. 


BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST    181 

From  the  windows  of  the  Schloss,  overlooking 
the  court-yard,  it  was  usual  to  see  the  adjutants 
who  had  accompanied  His  Majesty  descend  from 
their  cars  with  dignity — that  dignity  appropriate 
to  a  not-too-pronounced  embonpoint — salute  the 
guard  with  grave  courtesy  and  deliberation,  and 
then  retire  without  undue  haste  from  the  public 
view.  But  on  this  occasion  they  tumbled  out  of 
the  cars  and  rushed  up  the  steps  like  schoolboys, 
colliding  as  they  ran  with  the  footmen  and  Bur- 
schen  who  came  running  with  their  flat  undress 
caps  to  exchange  for  the  spiked  head-gear  they 
had  worn  in  church. 

It  is  a  popular  myth  that  the  German  is  phleg- 
matic. He  is  nothing  of  the  kind.  He  is  extra- 
ordinarily excitable  on  occasion.  He  gets  out  of 
temper,  shouts  and  wrings  his  hands  in  moments 
of  stress,  and  sheds  tears  easily.  His  feelings  are 
on  the  surface.  His  military  calm  is  acquired. 
He  abandons  it  and  becomes  almost  hysterical 
when  something  touches  his  heart  and  imagina- 
tion. 

The  advent  of  Zeppelin  in  his  airship  was  the 
culminating  act  of  a  great  national  triumph.  The 
indomitable  old  man,  who  had  worked  so  long 
and  so  pluckily  at  his  herculean  task,  was  at  last 
to  receive  some  of  the  homage  due  to  his  tenacity 
and  self-sacrifice.  So  no  wonder  the  people 
thronged  the  streets  and  crowded  the  housetops. 

The  fashionable  crowd  ascended  to  the  roof 
of  the  Schloss  by  devious  ways,  through  little 
dark  sculleries,  up  queer  steep  steps  and  ladders, 
past  funny  little  apartments  smelling  strongly 
of  cheese  and  garlic,  where  the  families  of  some  of 


182     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

the  servants  live  tucked  away  in  a  corner  of  the 
big  building,  out  on  to  the  copper-covered  roof 
along  narrow  plank  paths,  made  primarily  for  the 
use  of  the  sentries  who  must  nightly  patrol  these 
upper  regions.  Some  of  them  have  inscribed 
verses  on  the  walls,  conveying  discontent  at  the 
atmospheric  conditions  prevailing  there  on  winter 
nights. 

The  sky  above  was  gloriously  blue,  and  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  on  every  one  of  the  many 
flat  roofs  in  the  vicinity  were  masses  of  people 
assembled — not,  as  is  usually  the  case,  a  mere 
fringe  of  daring  spirits  leaning  over  the  parapet 
to  view  something  below,  but  crowds  spread  over 
the  whole  surface.  Each  man,  woman  and  child 
held  a  fluttering  flag,  which  they  waved  tempestu- 
ously as  an  outlet  for  overflowing  emotions.  One 
could  almost  see  the  palpitating  heart-beat  of 
the  nation. 

At  last,  after  an  hour  or  two  of  waiting,  an 
electric  thrill  ran  through  the  elevated  crowd. 
Some  one  had  caught  sight  of  the  airship.  By 
degrees  every  one  found  it— a  tiny  cigar-shaped 
speck,  hardly  visible  against  the  deep  blue  dis- 
tance. A  wave  of  cheering  swelled  and  ebbed 
and  died  away.  The  speck  grew  gradually  larger. 
Cheers  in  the  distant  part  of  the  city  reached 
us  in  ever-increasing  volume.  The  droning  of 
the  engines  was  plainly  audible.  Presently  the 
"  dirigible  "  could  be  seen  over  the  Brandenburger 
Tor.  Still  more  frantic  cheers  arose  from  the 
crowded  streets,  the  packed  windows  and  roofs. 
The  great  machine  swung  steadily  up  Unter  den 
Linden  and  sailed  magnificently  round  and  round 


BAUERN-HAUS   AND   SCHRIPPEN-FEST    183 

the  Schloss,  while  the  waves  of  cheering  were 
crested  with  a  white  fluttering  of  handkerchiefs 
like  a  storm-tossed  sea.  Again  and  again  the 
"  Zeppelin "  made  its  stately  circuit  of  the 
royal  castle,  then  slowly  turned  and  headed  for 
the  Tempelhofer  Feld,  where  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  with  their  family  and  all  the  greatest  men 
in  Germany  were  waiting  to  congratulate  the 
splendid  old  veteran, 


CHAPTER    X 

ROYAL    WEDDINGS 

ROYAL  betrothals  and  weddings  have 
within  the  last  few  years  been  of  frequent 
occurrence  at  the  Prussian  Court.  Many 
people  seem  doubtful  as  to  whether  these  marriages 
were  the  result  of  political  arrangement  or  of  the 
mutual  attraction  which  is  the  chief  factor  in  such 
affairs  where  humbler  folk  are  concerned.  Of 
my  own  personal  knowledge  I  am  able  to  affirm 
that  politics  and  worldly  considerations  have 
had  nothing  to  say  in  the  matter. 

German  royalties  are  peculiarly  fortunate  in 
having  an  unusually  wide  range  of  choice.  The 
Fatherland  is  rich  in  numerous  prolific  princely 
families,  quite  unremarkable  for  wealth  or  extent 
of  territory — some  indeed  are  conspicuously 
poverty-stricken — but  all  of  them  classed  as 
ebenbiirtig,  that  is  equal  in  birth,  to  royalty,  and 
therefore  the  female  members  are  eligible  as 
brides  for  the  occupiers  of  the  most  powerful 
thrones.  The  Empire  has  long  been  the  happy 
hunting-ground  for  would-be  bridegrooms. 

The  first  royal  Verlobung  which  took  place 
within  range  of  my  cognizance  was  that  of  the 
young  Duke  of  Saxe-Coburg  and  Gotha,  son  of 
the  Duchess  of  Albany,  who  was  staying  in  Berlin 
Schloss  at  the  same  time  as  the  two  nieces  of 

184 


ROYAL   WEDDINGS  185 

the  Empress,  the  Princesses  Victoria  and  Alex- 
andra of  Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucks- 
burg — two  bright,  pretty,  fair-haired  girls  who  had 
come  to  spend  the  season  at  Berlin  with  their  aunt. 

The  Princess  burst  into  my  sitting-room  with 
the  news  one  evening. 

"  Dick  and  Charlie  are  engaged,"  she  said, 
skipping  about  all  over  the  room.  "  Isn't  it 
nice  ?    Just  think  !    Dick  and  Charlie  !  " 

"Dick"  was  the  pet  name  of  the  Princess 
Victoria,  the  eldest  of  five  sisters. 

I  expressed  my  astonishment  and  pleasure  at 
the  news,  and  the  Princess  gave  me  several  reasons 
why  she  was  not  so  surprised  as  some  people, 
although  I  am  convinced  that  she  really  had 
known  very  little  beforehand.  But  at  any  rate 
she  thought  it  most  interesting  that  they  should 
become  engaged  "  in  Mamma's  sitting-room." 

The  following  September  the  Crown  Prince 
announced,  in  a  series  of  laconic  telegrams  to  his 
friends,  his  own  engagement  to  the  young  Duchess 
Cecile    of   Mecklenburg-Schwerin. 

"  We  are  engaged. — William  and  Cecile,"  was 
the  message  sent  by  the  happy  Braut-paar. 

The  Crown  Prince  had  from  early  youth  been 
frequently  in  love  with  various  pretty  young  girls 
within  the  range  of  his  acquaintanceship.  But 
these  harmless  little  love-affairs,  so  frank,  so  delight- 
fully obvious,  and  so  soon  dispersed  into  thin  air 
by  the  advent  of  some  new  and  equally  ineligible 
charmer,  culminated  at  last  in  his  meeting  with 
the  young  Duchess  Cecile,  a  dark-eyed,  clear- 
complexioned,  tall,  slim  maiden,  just  out  of  the 
schoolroom. 


186    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Any  one  seeing  the  happy  pair  together  need 
not  have  troubled  to  ask  if  they  were  in  love 
with  each  other.  It  was  palpably  the  case,  and 
they  had  not  the  least  desire  to  conceal  the  fact. 
When  the  young  Braut  came  to  stay  at  the  Neues 
Palais  after  her  engagement,  a  very  small  party 
— just  the  ladies-in-waiting  and  the  two  young 
Princesses — were  dining  together  in  the  Apollo- 
Saal,  for  the  Emperor  and  Empress  were  absent 
for  the  day.  Suddenly  a  great  clattering  was  heard 
outside  the  window  overlooking  the  terrace,  and 
the  Crown  Prince  appeared  on  horseback,  having 
ridden  up  the  stone  steps.  His  young  Braut 
was  charmed  at  his  daring,  and  they  sat  down 
at  table  side  by  side,  obviously  absorbed  in  each 
other,  while  the  ladies  talked  about  the  weather 
and  tried  to  be  as  unobtrusive  as  possible.  They 
were  as  genuinely  and  whole-heartedly  attracted, 
as  palpably  all-in-all  to  each  other,  as  the  poorest 
young  couple  who  bravely  face  the  world  to- 
gether. Nothing  but  personal  liking  entered  into 
their  marriage. 

It  is  a  pity  that  people  are  so  sceptical  as  to 
any  royal  alliance  being  founded  on  any  other 
than  political  considerations.  Yet  politics  are 
rarely  either  forwarded  or  hindered  nowadays  by 
matrimonial  arrangements ;  and  if  propinquity, 
as  most  people  believe,  is  the  chief  factor  in 
bringing  about  the  usual  love-affair,  then  it  is 
obviously  most  natural  for  a  prince  to  be  attracted 
towards  the  pretty  girl — for  many  princesses  are 
remarkably  pretty — whom  he  meets  on  equal 
terms,  with  whom  there  is  no  consciousness  of 
difference  of  rank,  the  girl  who  has  been  brought 


ROYAL   WEDDINGS  187 

up  in  the  same  atmosphere  as  himself,  with  whom 
familiarity  has  bred  a  certain  contempt  for  court 
ceremonies  and  court  traditions,  who  is  related, 
perhaps,  like  himself,  to  various  crowned  heads 
whom  they  both  call  "  Uncle,"  one  with  whom 
he  has  a  common  ground  of  interest,  bonds  of 
relationship   and   mutual   knowledge. 

As  soon  as  the  announcement  of  this  engagement 
became  public,  the  postcard  shops  of  Berlin, 
whose  name  is  legion,  became  mere  picture- 
galleries  for  the  illustration  of  every  possible 
moment  of  the  life  and  movements  of  the  young 
couple.  A  whole  army  of  photographers  must 
have  been  employed  to  lie  in  wait  and  photograph 
them  under  almost  every  conceivable  circumstance 
of  their  lives.  Certainly  German  royalties  are 
very  good-natured  in  this  respect. 

First  there  was  the  official  photograph  of  the 
Braut-Paar  sitting  hand-in-hand,  as  is  the  ortho- 
dox photographic  pose  in  Germany  for  all  newly 
engaged  couples.  Then  there  was  a  card  called 
"The  First  Congratulations":  rows  and  rows 
of  little  schoolboys  and  girls  of  Schwerin,  each 
with  a  bouquet  of  wilted  flowers  in  the  hand,  and 
the  girls  with  wreaths  entwined  in  their  hair, 
presented  in  turn  their  offerings  to  the  smiling 
young  Duchess,  while  the  Crown  Prince  stood  by, 
helping  things  along  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 
"  The  First  Drive"  pictured  them  both  in  a  sort 
of  dog-cart,  duly  chaperoned,  taking  the  air 
together,  and  there  were  dozens  more  cards  por- 
traying them  at  tennis,  drinking  tea  in  the  garden, 
or  nursing  the  dogs.  One  felt  that  one  knew  how 
every  moment  of  their  time  was  employed. 


188    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Although  they  were  engaged  in  the  month  of 
September,  their  marriage  did  not  take  place  until 
the  beginning  of  the  following  June.  Ordinary 
weddings  usually  mean  a  time  of  considerable 
stress  to  every  one  concerned,  but  they  are  epochs 
of  honeyed  leisure  as  compared  with  the  multiple 
ceremonies  attendant  on  royal  functions  of  the 
same  kind. 

For  weeks  beforehand  no  one  dared  to  let 
their  thoughts  wander  from  the  impending  event. 
A  few  days  before  the  State  entry  of  the  bride 
into  the  town,  we  all  had  to  leave  the  New  Palace 
and  migrate  to  Berlin. 

A  State  entry  means,  for  the  bride,  not  only 
an  entry  in  State  carriages  but  in  State  attire, 
wearing  semi-evening  dress  and  a  long  train. 

The  day  before  it  took  place  the  bride  arrived 
with  her  mother,  the  Duchess  Anastasia,  and 
took  up  her  residence  for  the  night  in  Belle  Vue, 
which  was  outside  the  city  boundary.  The  next 
day,  which  turned  out  remarkably  hot,  almost 
too  hot  to  be  agreeable,  all  Berlin  was  astir  early, 
and  the  streets  were  lavishly  bewreathed  and 
beflagged.  Along  the  route  large  wooden  stands 
had  been  erected,  for  as  far  as  the  populace  is 
concerned  the  entry  is  the  only  part  of  the  State 
ceremony  which  they  can  enjoy,  as  the  wedding 
itself  takes  place  privately  in  the  Chapel  of  the 
Schloss. 

So  the  good  people  of  Berlin  are  astir  betimes, 
and  take  their  places  along  the  Tier-Garten,  or 
as  near  as  they  can  to  the  Brandenburger-Tor,  at 
a  very  early  hour,  quite  regardless  of  the  fact 
that  the  procession  will  not  start  before  three. 


ROYAL   WEDDINGS  189 

But  they  know  there  will  be  plenty  to  be  seen. 
Royal  carriages  carrying  notable  personalities 
will  pass  to  and  fro,  and  the  Emperor  and  Empress, 
the  "  little  Princess  "  and  her  brothers,  will  doubt- 
less be  in  evidence.  So  they  stand  from  hour 
to  hour  waiting  patiently  in  the  heat.  In  the 
stables  great  activity  prevails.  The  eight  fine 
black  horses  which  draw  the  bride's  State  carriage 
have  been  daily  exercised  together,  wearing  the 
heavy  red  brass-studded  harness.  The  coach  itself 
is  made  almost  entirely  of  glass  in  the  upper  panels, 
and  is  most  beautifully  painted  and  decorated. 
Three  gorgeously-clad  footmen  cling  behind  it, 
and  two  equally  gorgeous  pages  hold  a  seemingly 
precarious  and  uncomfortable  footing  behind  the 
coachman's  box,  crowded  up  between  it  and  the 
curvature  of  the  coach  itself  in  a  very  complicated 
and  mysterious  manner.  The  ponderous  vehicle 
swings  heavily  from  side  to  side,  and  has  a  peculiar 
cross-Channel  motion. 

Its  progress  down  towards  Belle  Vue  is  watched 
by  crowds  of  delighted  spectators.  The  sight  of 
its  eight  slowly-pacing  horses,  each  wearing 
wonderful  plumes  of  ostrich  feathers,  and  led  at 
a  foot's  pace  by  grooms  in  red  coats  encrusted 
with  gold  lace,  fill  the  crowd  with  joyful  ecstasy. 
They  forget  the  heat  and  thirst  and  the  long  hours 
they  have  already  waited. 

All  the  master-butchers  of  Berlin  are  very  active 
and  not  a  little  apprehensive,  for  it  is  an  old- 
established  privilege  of  their  guild  to  ride,  in  top- 
hats  and  frock-coats,  at  the  head  of  the  bride's 
procession,  and  they  are  divided  between  the  fear- 
ful joy  and  doubtful  pleasure  of  the  enterprise. 


190     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

They  have  been  diligently  pursuing  equestrian 
exercise  for  the  last  few  weeks.  Many  who  never 
made  acquaintance  with  a  saddle  before — except 
in  the  form  of  mutton — have  been  learning,  at 
the  nearest  "  Tattersall,"  some  of  the  elementary 
mysteries  of  horsemanship.  Quiet,  staid  horses 
of  mature  years  have  suddenly  risen  in  price,  and 
horse-dealers  have  reaped  a  rich  harvest  from 
certain  ancient  but  good-looking  crocks  which 
know  how  to  walk  with  an  air  of  magnificence. 

All  these  black-coated  gentry  assemble  at  the 
entrance  to  Belle  Vue.  They  are  in  the  happy 
position  of  seeing  to  advantage  all  that  goes  on. 
They  may  not  look  quite  as  smart  as  the  mounted 
Uhlans  of  the  escort,  but  they  add  a  quaint, 
homely  German  touch  to  the  picture  which  is 
very  agreeable. 

Only  State  carriages  are  allowed  to  drive,  as 
they  do  on  this  occasion,  along  the  gravelled  centre 
of  the  avenue  of  lime-trees  on  Unter  den  Linden 
All  the  Stall-Meisters,  Sattel-Meisters,  Wagen- 
Meisters  and  other  stable  functionaries  are 
assembled  in  Belle  Vue  Garden,  while  the  Master 
of  the  Horse  in  his  plumed  cocked  hat,  casts  an 
eye  over  the  horses  and  hopes  that  those  well- 
trained  quadrupeds  will  not  be  stirred  out  of  their 
usual  calm  by  the  unaccustomed  character  of 
the  day's  proceedings. 

From  the  Schloss  there  is  an  excellent  view  of 
the  long  procession  as  it  at  last  comes  slowly  up 
the  Linden.  It  stops  at  the  Brandenburger  Tor, 
where  the  Burger-Meister — the  Lord  Mayor  of 
Berlin — has  the  pleasing  duty  of  making  a  speech 
of  welcome  to  the  bride,  who  is  expected  to  make 


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ROYAL   WEDDINGS  191 

a  short  speech  in  reply.  A  bouquet  is  also  pre- 
sented by  one  of  a  galaxy  of  palpitating  white- 
clad  maidens,  and,  headed  by  the  black-coated 
butchers,  amid  the  fluttering  pennons  of  the  Uhlans 
the  big  coach  swings  slowly  on  its  way,  the  bride 
smiling  and  bowing  incessantly.  Never  was  anyone 
more  joyously  responsive  than  the  future  Crown- 
Princess,  who  possesses  in  a  high  degree  that 
capacity  for  appearing  pleased  and  amused  which 
is  so  invaluable  to  royalties.  She  probably  does 
not  know  how  to  look  bored.  The  world  is  to 
her  an  intensely  amusing,  interesting  place.  That 
day  she  drove  triumphantly  into  the  hearts  of 
the  people,  where  she  has  remained  enthroned 
ever  since — a  stimulating,  charming  presence. 

Besides  the  bride,  the  coach  contained  the 
Empress  and  the  Mistress  of  the  Robes,  and  when 
it  turned  at  last  from  the  shouting,  waving  popu- 
lace into  the  court-yard  of  the  Schloss,  the  butchers 
having  previously  ridden  in  at  one  gate  and  out 
again  at  the  other,  the  Emperor,  who  had  driven 
up  earlier  from  Belle  Vue,  was  standing  at  the 
entrance  to  welcome  his  future  daughter-in-law, 
while  the  bridegroom  waited  at  the  head  of  his 
regiment,  which  formed  the  guard  of  honour  for 
the  occasion. 

The  wedding  itself  took  place  three  days  later, 
at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Those  people 
who  were  not  invited  to  be  present  at  the  wedding 
ceremony  in  the  chapel  itself  received  invitations 
to  the  Bilder  Galerie  or  Picture  Gallery,  through 
which  the  wedding  procession  must  pass. 

It  is  a  very  mixed  assembly,  for  all  having  any 
connection   with   the   bride   or   bridegroom,    pro- 


192    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

fessors,  school  friends,  teachers,  footmen  or  their 
families,  fellow  students,  all  receive  tickets.     They 
must    appear   in    evening   dress,  and   some   very 
strange  costumes  are  seen  among  the  ladies.    One 
I    remember,    an   obviously   home-made   and   in- 
artistic affair,  was  trimmed  with  real  water-lilies 
which  in  the  heat  had  turned  a  dismal  brown, 
and  long   before   the  procession  drew  near  were 
depressingly  dying  on  the   ample  bosom  of  the 
lady  who  wore  them.     Everybody  had  to  stand 
all  the  time,  and  footmen  holding  scarlet  cords 
kept  back  the  crowd  as  well  as  they  could  from 
encroaching  on  the  space  left  in  the  centre.    There 
was  a  much  better  view  here  of  the  procession 
than  in  the  chapel  itself,  especially  for  the  front 
rank  of  spectators,  among  whom  I  was  luckily 
placed.     In   the   second   row   was   a   very   stout 
woman,  who  leaned  frankly  upon  me  for  support, 
and  tried  unblushingly  but  unsuccessfully  to  push 
her  way  to  the  front.     When  frustrated  in  this 
manoeuvre    she    complained    loudly    of    my    dis- 
obligingness, and  said  that  she  had  received  her 
entrance  card  from  an   Ober-Kastellan,  and  that 
she  could  not   understand  how  I  could  therefore 
expect  her  to  remain  in  the  second  row.     I  had 
to  lean  back  on  to  her  to  prevent   myself  being 
pushed  on  to  the  red  carpet,  and  she  again  became 
tearfully  indignant,   not  to  say  unpleasant ;  but 
fortunately  the  procession  began  to   arrive   and 
saved  any  further  trouble. 

It  was  headed  by  two  heralds  in  tabards,  and 
by  twelve  pages  in  red,  and  then  came  the  bride 
in  a  dress  of  silver  tissue  led  by  the  bridegroom  in 
uniform.     She  had  on  her  head  the  small  jewelled 


ROYAL   WEDDINGS  193 

crown  which  every  Prussian  bride  wears  on  her 
wedding  day,  and  her  train  was  carried  by  four 
young  ladies.  The  Empress  followed  with  the 
bride's  brother,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Mecklenburg- 
Schwerin,  and  the  Emperor  with  the  bride's  mother, 
the  Grand  Duchess  Anastasia.  They  were  followed 
by  a  crowd  of  other  royalties  walking,  as  is  the 
custom,  hand-in-hand,  sometimes  one  Prince  con- 
ducting two  Princesses,  or  one  Princess  being  con- 
ducted by  two  Princes.  They  all  looked  very  much 
amused  at  themselves,  and  those  who  happened  to 
know  me  grinned  delightedly  and  nodded  as  they 
passed.  Prince  Arthur  of  Connaught  was  there,  and 
the  very  tall  Duchess  of  Aosta,  who  walked  with 
a  tiny  little  Japanese  gentleman.  The  Princess, 
who  walked  with  Prince  Joachim,  made  very  friendly 
demonstrations  as  she  went  by,  and  choked  with 
laughter  when  I  responded  by  a  very  deep  curtsy. 

When  the  last  of  the  procession  had  vanished  we 
were  all  driven  out  at  once,  and  an  army  of  house- 
maids with  brooms  entered  and  began  to  sweep 
up  the  dirt  and  litter  which  the  people  had  left 
behind.  It  was  strange  that  on  the  most  cere- 
monious occasions,  when  people  were  waiting 
round  red  carpets  to  welcome  royal  guests,  or 
ambassadors  weighed  down  with  state  secrets 
were  on  the  point  of  getting  into  their  carriages 
after  audiences  with  the  Emperor,  always  a  print- 
gowned  housemaid  with  a  broom  made  a  jarring 
appearance,  wielding  her  implement  coolly  in  the 
midst  of  state  functionaries  as  though  sweep- 
ing were  the  most  important  business  of  life, 
Sometimes  she  had  scarcely  disappeared  before 
royalty  itself  emerged. 

13 


194     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

The  Lutheran  wedding-service  is  very  simple. 
It  begins  with  the  long  address  of  the  clergyman 
to  the  bridal  couple,  admonishing  them  as  to  their 
duties  to  each  other  and  the  world  at  large.  As 
everybody  stands  the  whole  time— for  no  chairs 
are  admitted  into  the  chapel,  excepting  one  or 
two  for  specially  exalted  guests — this  address  is 
apt  to  appear  longer  than  it  really  is.  Each  lady 
is  in  Court  dress,  wearing  the  regulation  veil  and 
long,  heavy  train  which  she  must  hold  on  her  arm 
during  the  service,  as  it  is  not  to  be  displayed 
until  the  Defilir-Cour  which  follows  immediately 
afterwards.  From  the  chapel  the  newly-married 
pair  walk  into  the  adjacent  Weisser-Saal,  where, 
with  the  Emperor  and  Empress  t  they  stand  to 
receive  the  congratulations  of  the  invited  guests, 
who  pass  quickly  before  them  bowing,  the  ladies 
with  their  trains  spread  out.  When  the  bride 
and  bridegroom  have  made  several  hundred  bows 
and  the  Cour  is  at  an  end,  an  adjournment  is 
made  to  dinner,  which  is  laid  in  several  different 
rooms  at  small  round  tables,  excepting  the  one 
where  the  royalties  sit,  which  is  fairly  large.  Here 
more  quaint  ceremonies  take  place.  The  Prince 
Fiirstenberg  as  Marshal  of  the  Court  serves  the 
Emperor  with  soup,  and  the  other  royal  guests  are 
also  waited  on  by  pages  and  gentlemen  of  birth, 
who  take  the  dishes  from  the  footmen.  The  Lord- 
High-Steward  or  Truchsess  pours  out  the  wine, 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  dinner  the  Emperor 
proposes  the  health  of  the  newly-married  pair. 

The  dinner,  in  spite  of  the  attendant  ceremonies, 
is  not  allowed  to  be  too  prolonged,  for  the  great 
climax  of  these  stately  formalities  still  remains  to 


ROYAL   WEDDINGS  195 

be  performed — the  most  beautiful,  but  perhaps  ,f  or 
the  hard- worked  bridal  pair,  also  the  most  tiring 
of  all — the  famous  Torch  Dance,  seen  nowhere 
but  at  the  Prussian  Court,  and  when  once  seen, 
never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  wedding  procession  returns  to  the  beautiful 
Weisser  Saal,  where  a  regimental  band,  usually 
that  of  the  Garde  du  Corps,  is  stationed  in  the 
gallery.  Here,  at  a  signal  from  an  official,  the 
music  begins  :  slow  stately  marches  are  played,  old- 
world  tunes  that  seem  an  echo  of  past  times.  The 
royal  ladies  are  all  seated  with  their  parti-coloured 
trains,  which  seem  somehow  to  be  the  chief  feature 
of  all  state  functions,  spread  out  in  front  of  them — 
while  rows  of  red-clad  pages  stand  behind  their 
chairs  waiting  to  advance  when  the  time  arrives. 

From  the  side  entrance  of  the  Saal,  stepping 
in  time  to  the  music,  enters  the  Marshal  of  the 
Court  carrying  his  wand  of  office,  preceding  a 
double  row  of  twenty-four  pages  who  bear  large 
torches.  In  stately  rhythm  they  move  once  round 
the  room,  when  the  Marshal  stops,  and  bows  to 
the  bride  and  bridegroom,  who  at  once  descend 
from  the  slightly-raised  platform  where  they  sit, 
and  hand-in-hand,  preceded  by  the  torch-bearers, 
with  four  ladies  carrying  the  bride's  train,  the 
group  moves  round  the  Hall  in  time  to  the  music. 
I  have  seen  this  ceremony  four  times,  at  as  many 
royal  weddings,  and  cannot  express  its  wonderful 
fascination,  its  mixture  of  poetry  and  romance, 
its  glamour  of  colour,  its  irresistible  charm  to  the 
beholder.  There  is  the  lulling  monotony  of 
sound,  the  flicker  and  smoke  of  the~torches,  the 
brilliant   blending  of  many   tones,   the    dignified 


196      MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

movement  of  the  dancers,  the  crowd  of  seated 
royalties  opposite  the  standing  crowd  of  courtiers. 
It  takes  on  something  of  the  aspect  of  a  fairy 
tale,  is  reminiscent  of  "Cinderella"  or  of  a  half- 
forgotten  ballad  of  bygone  days. 

The  bride  and  bridegroom  having  made  their 
tour  of  the  room  once  alone,  return  and  separate, 
the  bride  now  taking  out  the  Emperor  and  her 
own  nearest  male  relative,  while  the  bridegroom 
leads  out  his  mother  and  that  of  the  bride,  and 
they  again  march  slowly  round  the  room.  All  the 
ladies'  trains,  excepting  those  of  the  bride  and 
the  Empress,  are  carried  by  four  pages,  the  two 
exceptions  by  four  ladies  who  themselves  wear 
trains.  And  so  round  after  round  bride  and 
bridegroom  return  and  hand  out  the  rest  of  the 
Princes  and  Princesses  in  turn. 

In  order  to  hasten  matters,  towards  the  end  three 
or  four  of  the  younger  ones  are  linked  together  on 
either  hand,  and  a  chain  of  happy,  smiling  youth 
treads  the  last  stately  measure  round  the  Hall. 

The  Torch  Dance  finishes,  and  the  torch-bearers 
wend  their  way  out,  followed  by  the  long  glitter- 
ing procession,  away  to  the  private  apartments. 
The  ceremonies  are  at  an  end.  It  is  nine  o'clock, 
and  presently,  if  you  listen,  you  may  hear  the 
cheers  of  the  people  in  the  street  greeting  the 
bridal  couple  as  they  drive  quickly  through  the 
summer  darkness  on  their  way  to  the  station. 

After  they  are  gone,  there  remains  only  one  small 
ceremony,  which  is  often  very  unceremonious — the 
scramble  of  the  courtiers  for  the  so-called  Garter 
of  the  Bride.  Hundreds  of  pieces  of  white  satin 
ribbon   marked  with  her  cipher   are   distributed 


ROYAL   WEDDINGS  197 

by  the  Mistress  of  the  Ceremonies,  and  for  a  few 
moments  pandemonium  seems  to  reign.  At  the 
last  wedding  I  was  flung  bodily  into  the  arms 
of  a  Kammer-Herr,  a  gold-laced  official  of  great 
dignity ;  and  some  of  the  royalties  returning  to 
their  apartments  were  plunged  into  the  vortex 
of  the  struggle  and  severely  hustled  and  pushed 
about  before  a  passage  could  be  made  for  them. 
The  distributing  lady  was  then  kindly  but  firmly 
requested  to  pursue  her  avocations  in  a  side 
corridor  farther  away. 

The  wedding  of  the  Emperor's  second  son, 
Prince  Fritz,  to  the  Duchess  Sophie  Charlotte  of 
Oldenburg  took  place  in  February,  on  the  same 
day  as  the  celebration  of  the  Silver  Wedding  of 
Their  Majesties,  who  on  this  occasion  walked  hand 
in  hand  in  the  bridal  procession,  the  Empress 
wearing  a  wreath  of  silver  myrtle  as  well  as  a 
beautiful  diamond  tiara  given  to  her  by  her 
husband. 

This  Silver  Wedding  was,  of  course,  the  occasion 
of  many  spontaneous  tributes  of  affection  towards 
Their  Majesties;  and  the  Court  Chaplain — he  who 
attempted  to  guide  our  Christmas  carols — being 
an  indefatigable  man,  had  determined  that  this 
notable  day  ought  to  be  ushered  in  by  an  aubade, 
an  early- morning  song,  to  be  performed  by  the 
Court  ladies  and  gentlemen  outside  the  bedroom 
door  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress.  It  was  to 
be  sacred  in  character ;  but,  instead  of  taking 
some  old-established  favourite,  he  was  moved  to 
ask  a  musical  friend  to  write  something  special  to 
fit  the  occasion.  Like  most  "  specially- written  " 
melodies,  it  was  rather  uninspired,  but  by  dint 


198     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

of  constant  practice  at  most  inconvenient  times 
we  got  a  more  or  less  hazy  idea  of  it,  and  hoped 
that  it  would  make  a  deep  impression. 

I  think  we  were  all  a  little  resentful  at  having 
to  rise  so  early  on  what  we  knew  would  be  a  long, 
fatiguing  day.  The  poor  Court  Chaplain,  who  had 
to  come  over  from  Potsdam,  must  have  started 
in  the  chilly  darkness  of  the  winter  morning.  I 
myself,  unaccustomed  to  rising  quite  so  early, 
fell  asleep  again  after  being  awakened,  and  had 
to  dress  in  feverish  haste  and  rush  downstairs 
without  any  breakfast.  We  were  gathered,  a 
group  of  rather  sleepy,  not  conspicuously  good- 
tempered  people,  at  the  entrance  to  the  narrow 
corridor  leading  to  the  private  apartments,  where 
we  waited  an  unconscionable  time,  growing  every 
moment  more  nervous,  and  studying  the  little  ill- 
written  scraps  of  music-paper  on  which  we  had 
jotted  down,  somewhat  undecipherably,  our  several 
parts.  Everybody  inquired  of  his  neighbour 
what  we  were  waiting  for,  but  no  one  seemed  to 
know,  excepting  the  leading  soprano,  who  frowned 
angrily  when  we  whispered  and  put  her  finger 
reprovingly  on  her  lips. 

We  were  obviously  much  in  the  way  of  certain 
Jagers  and  footmen,  who  were  passing  up  and 
down  with  garments  and  boots  ;  and  at  last  some 
of  us  grew  restive  and  threatened  to  depart. 

At  that  moment  a  Jager,  who  had  cast  disap- 
proving glances  at  us  as  he  passed  to  and  fro, 
came  and  told  us  that  His  Majesty  had  left  his 
room  and  was  not  likely  to  return,  whereupon  we 
felt  much  disappointment,  but  subsequently  con- 
gratulated ourselves  on  the  happy  chance  that 


ROYAL   WEDDINGS  199 

had  led  the  Emperor  away  — for  our  attempt  at 
harmony  turned  out  a  most  dismal  failure,  owing 
to  the  chief  soprano  getting  nervous  and  starting 
on  an  absolutely  false  note.  No  less  than  three 
beginnings  were  necessary  before  we  got  really 
"  off,"  and  the  suppressed  titterings  of  the  bride- 
groom, Prince  Fritz,  who  had  joined  his  mother, 
were  plainly  audible.  Happily  we  finished  better 
than  we  began — which  is  not  saying  much — and 
the  Empress  thanked  us  in  her  usual  pleasant, 
kindly  manner,  and  then  hurried  off  after  the 
Emperor  to  breakfast.  It  was  rather  hard  on  the 
poor  Court  Chaplain,  who  had  risen  early  and 
taken  so  much  trouble  to  reap  so  little  satisfaction  ; 
and  when  I  found  on  return  to  my  own  room 
that  my  breakfast  (which  I  had  not  touched) 
had  been  taken  away  and  eaten  by  the  woman  -r 
who  waited  on  me,  I  felt  that  the  day  had  not 
begun  as  auspiciously  as  might  have  been  wished. 

^The  Crown  Prince  and  Princess  [after  their 
marriagejlived  at  the  M armor  Palais,  and  here  all 
their  children  were  born.  The  arrival  of  their 
first  little  boy,  Prince  Wilhelm,  was  an  exciting 
day  for  the  whole  of  Germany.  The  great  event 
happened  about  eight  o'clock  one  morning,  and 
by  eleven  picture-postcards  were  on  sale  in  which 
the  Crown  Princess,  naively  represented  in  evening 
dress,  was  depicted  holding  in  her  arms  one  of 
those  dreadful  abominations  called  a  Steck-Kissen, 
a  sort  of  flat  pillow  much  used  in  the  Fatherland, 
on  which  was  fastened  with  blue  ribbons,  something 
in  the  manner  habitual  among  Indian  squaws,  a 
solid-looking  infant  purporting  to  be  the  newly- 
born  Prince. 


200    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

This  same  child  on  the  same  blue-ribboned 
Steck-Kissen  was  also  represented  on  another 
postcard  lying  on  the  knees  of  the  Emperor,  who 
was  smiling  into  the  middle-distance.  It  bore 
the  inscription  "The  First  Grandchild"  ;  but  as 
His  Majesty  was  at  the  time  cruising  off  Kiel  in 
the  Hohenzollem,  he  never  saw  his  first  grand- 
child until  six  weeks  after  it  was  born.  But  manu- 
facturers are  not  disturbed  by  minor  details  of 
this  nature,  and  the  cards,  however  unveracious, 
doubtless  supplied  a  popular  demand. 

Later  on  the  Emperor  mentioned  at  table  that, 
owing  to  the  forgetfulness  of  the  young  officer 
charged  with  the  forwarding  on  board  of  his  mails, 
the  telegrams  informing  him  of  the  happy  event 
did  not  reach  him  for  a  good  many  hours  after 
they  arrived  in  Kiel ;  and  it  was  from  a  congratu- 
latory message  handed  on  board  from  the  Sultan 
of  Turkey  that  His  Majesty  first  heard  that  he 
was  a  grandfather. 

The  fact  that  the  Empress  was  a  grandmother 
and  she  herself  an  aunt  made  the  Princess  very 
thoughtful  for  a  time.  She  indulged  for  some 
time  in  long  fits  of  silence,  pondering  this  new 
development.  A  few  days  after  her  nephew 
came  into  the  world,  as  we  were  driving  in  the 
Wildpark  together,  she  remarked  with  a  certain 
wistful  wonder,  "  This  time  last  week  I  was  not 
yet  an  aunt,  and  Mamma  was  not  a  grandmother. 
Poor  Mamma  !  " 

The  christening  was  of  great  interest  to  her, 
because  the  youngest  Hohenzollem  Princess  is 
always  chosen  to  carry  the  infant  to  the  font. 
She  practised  this  ceremony  a  few  times  with  a 


ROYAL   WEDDINGS  201 

cushion,  to  which  was  pinned  a  long  table-cloth 
to  represent  the  white  satin  train  which  babes 
of  the  Hohenzollern  race  wear  at  the  ceremony. 
This  train  is  embroidered  with  the  name  of  every 
prince  or  princess  who  has  worn  it ;  and  a  new 
strip  has  to  be  added  for  every  christening,  so  that 
the  imagination  refuses  to  consider  the  length  to 
which  it  must  inevitably  extend  in  the  course 
of  ages.  It  is  carried  by  four  ladies  of  noble 
birth,  and  is  actually  fastened,  not  to  the  infant 
itself,  but  to  the  white  satin  cushion  on  which 
the  child  is  laid. 

Royal  christenings  are  usually  celebrated  in 
the  long  Jasper  Gallery  in  the  New  Palace,  a 
magnificent  apartment  which,  owing  to  its  length, 
was  the  favourite  scene  of  indoor  sports  for  the  Prin- 
cess and  her  friends  when  wet  weather  prevented 
their  indulgence  outside.  Only  the  week  after 
the  christening  sack-races  were  held  in  the  stately 
apartment,  and  the  mirrors  which  had  lately 
reflected  the  stately  tread,  the  brilliant  uniforms, 
and  the  trailing  dresses  of  courtiers,  now  duplicated 
and  reduplicated  a  seemingly  endless  procession 
of  wildly-hopping  maidens  with  jerking  pigtails, 
who,  shrieking  with  laughter  and  accompanied  by 
many  tumbles,  bumped  along  over  the  marble 
pavement  to  the  goal.  The  seventy-five  Stifts- 
Kinder  had  been  invited  to  the  palace  ;  but 
the  afternoon  turned  out  hopelessly  wet,  so 
that  the  "Gymkhana"  which  had  been  planned 
had  necessarily  to  take  place  indoors  or  not  at 
all,  and  the  Jasper  Gallery  proved  itself  an  excel- 
lent place  for  egg-and-spoon  races  as  well  as  for 
the  needle-threading  and  bun-eating  competitions. 


202     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

A  few  rooms  near  the  Gallery  had  been  once 
occupied  by  Frederick  the  Great.     One  of  them 
still  contained  his  harpsichord,   and  in  another, 
row  upon  row,  were  left  the  books  he  loved  —all 
in  French,  not  a  single  German  one  amongst  them. 
Sometimes    the    children    would    storm    violently 
thi  :>ugh  these  older  rooms,  where  all  was  left  as 
much  as  possible  undisturbed,  just  as  they  had 
been  when  used  by  Frederick.      They  wakened  up 
for  a  few  moments  the  sleepy,  stifled  atmosphere 
of  the  shut-up  apartments,  the  faded    green  silk 
curtains    waved    and    trembled    as    they    passed 
boisterously    onward ;     once    I    saw    the    yellow 
parchment   label   bearing   the   old   King's   hand- 
writing drop  from  the  back  of  a  book  in  the  glass 
case,   shaken  from  its  timid,   precarious  hold  by 
the  rush  of  active  young  feet.     They  were  eerie 
places,   where  one    did  not   care  to  linger  long 
alone  when  the  shadows  of  night  were  falling.     It 
was  so  easy  to  imagine  a  bent  old  figure,   in   a 
crushed-looking   cocked  hat,  in  rusty  knee-boots, 
in  a  blue-lapelled  riding-coat,  peering  round  the 
corner  to   see   who   was   disturbing  the   silences, 
watching  the  flight  of  that   impetuous  child  of 
his  house  as  her  laugh  echoed  back  towards  the 
deserted  rooms  where  the  air  had  for  a  moment 
been   startled   into   movement   by   the   tones   of 
her  gay  voice  and  the  sound  of  her  footsteps  on 
the  polished  floor. 


CHAPTER    XI 

WILHELMSHOHE 

THE  most  agreeably  situated  of  all  the 
various  dwelling-places  occupied  in  the 
course  of  the  year  by  the  Emperor  William 
and  his  family  is  without  doubt  the  splendid  palace 
of  Wilhelmshohe,  standing  on  the  hillside  amid 
beautifully  wooded  scenery  within  two  miles  of 
the  town  of  Cassel,  which  can  be  seen  from  its 
upper  windows,  sheltered  snugly  in  a  long  depres- 
sion of  hills,  its  red  roofs  lying  warm  across  the 
soft  blueness  of  the  distant  mountains  behind. 

The  Court  stays  here  every  year  during  August, 
when  the  damp  heat  of  the  New  Palace,  which 
lies  so  low,  becomes  too  suffocatingly  unbearable. 
The  Emperor  in  Wilhelmshohe  changes  his  uni- 
form every  afternoon  for  an  ordinary  flannel  or 
tweed  suit,  and  wearing  a  Panama  hat,  tramps 
energetically  among  the  woods  and  hills,  working 
off  a  little  of  the  adipose  tissue  which,  in  spite 
of  his  activities,  has  in  the  last  year  or  two  made 
some  slight  encroachment  on  his  straight,  lithe 
figure.  He  has  a  horror  of  growing  stout,  and 
keeps  the  enemy  at  bay  with  characteristic  per- 
tinacity. 

Once  at  a  fancy-dress  ball  given  by  Prince 
Adalbert,  his  sailor-son  at  Kiel,  the  Emperor  came 
to  it,  unknown  to  the  guests,  wearing  the  dress  of 

203 


204    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

his  own  ancestor  the  Great  Elector,  a  full-bottomed 
flowing  wig  and  the  long  coat  and  breeches  appro- 
priate to  the  period.  During  the  first  part  of  the 
ball  the  dancers  were  masked,  and  the  Emperor 
was  talking  with  a  lady  who,  believing  him  to  be 
the  Crown  Prince,  whom  she  knew  very  well,  said 
to  him  archly : 

"  Your  Imperial  Highness  is  splendidly  dis- 
guised. How  did  you  make  yourself  appear  so 
stout  ?  A  little  cushion  stuffed  inside  somewhere, 
I  suppose  ?  " 

His  Majesty  told  this  story  against  himself 
several  times,  especially  when  the  lady,  who 
previous  to  her  marriage  was  attached  to  the 
service  of  the  Empress,  happened  to  be  present. 
He  would  roll  his  eyes  in  pretended  anger  while 
he  said  : 

''Of  course  there  was  no  cushion — there  was 
only  me  ;  but  I  believe  she  said  it  on  purpose. 
She  knew  who  it  was  all   the  time." 

It  was  a  toilsome  business  to  tramp  so  many 
miles  in  the  hot  sun,  and  though  the  Empress 
herself  was  at  that  time  a  good  walker,  she  had 
hard  work  to  keep  up  with  her  energetic  husband, 
while  the  Princess  frankly  confessed  that  she  was 
half  dead  after  one  of  "Papa's"  brisk  constitu- 
tionals. Elderly  Germans,  especially  at  Court, 
do  not  walk  much  habitually.  They  occasionally 
take  exercise  of  the  kind  as  a  "cure,"  making 
it  into  something  of  a  solemn,  ponderous  rite, 
strolling  along  under  the  forest  trees  hat  in  hand, 
with  frequent  pauses  to  look  at  the  scenery ;  but 
this  is  not  what  the  Emperor  understands  by 
walking. 


WILHELMSHOHE  205 

Every  Sunday  morning  /the  ladies  and  gentlemen 
of  the  suite  used  to  assemble  before  church  time 
on  the  terrace  opposite  the  great  statue  (copied 
from  the  Farnese  Hercules)  which  stands  away 
at  the  top  of  the  hill  crowning  the  artificial  rock 
terraces,  caves  and  cascades  made  by  a  former 
Landgraf  of  Hesse-Cassel.  This  statue  is  so 
large  that  a  man  can  stand  inside  the  club  upon 
which  Hercules  leans.  The  weather  was  always 
judged  (or  misjudged)  according  to  whether 
Herkules  loomed  near  or  retired  into  the  back- 
ground. After  standing  a  little,  and  chatting  in 
the  usual  desultory  way  of  people  who  meet  often 
and  rarely  have  new  experiences  to  confide,  the 
Empress  and  Princess  would  appear,  followed  by 
the  Emperor. 

On  my  first  visit  to  Wilhelmsh6he,  as  we  wended 
our  way  to  the  little  chapel  in  one  wing  of  the 
Palace,  the  Emperor  said  that  he  hoped  I  would 
"  sing  in  a  loud,  deep  voice  "  in  church,  because 
the  singing  was  usually  very  bad.  I  commented 
on  the  slowness  of  German  hymn-singing,  and  His 
Majesty  told  me  how  surprised  he  was  once,  when 
visiting  at  Windsor  "  with  Grandmamma"  a  year 
or  two  before  she  died,  to  hear  the  organ  burst 
out  suddenly  into  the  Austrian  National  Anthem, 
not  knowing  that  it  had  been  adopted  as  an  English 
hymn-tune. 

The  way  to  the  chapel  was  through  a  long 
matted  corridor  hung  with  queer  old-fashioned 
paintings  of  distorted-looking  animals. 

Just  before  the  door  of  the  royal  pew  hung  on 
each  side  of  the  wall  two  pictures  of  ferocious 
cows  whose  eyes  followed  with  a  threatening  glare 


206    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

as  people  went  in  or  out  of  chapel.  Underneath 
the  cows  was  placed  the  alms-dish  for  the  con- 
tributions of  Their  Majesties  and  the  Court. 

The  Emperor  and  Empress  occupied  two  special 
gilt  and  red-velvet  chairs,  and  the  Court  ordinary 
cane-bottomed  ones — also  gilt — which  made  a 
great  scraping  on  the  floor  as  we  rose  to  pray  or 
sat  down  to  sing  according  to  the  usual  German 
custom. 

The  congregation  consisted  chiefly  of  a  few 
officers  and  foresters  with  their  wives  and  children, 
and  a  well-meaning  choir  sang  timidly  in  the 
gallery  up  above. 

The  dining-room  and  neighbouring  salons  in 
Wilhelmshohe  were  beautifully  furnished  in  Em- 
pire style  and  in  late  Louis  Quinze.  The  fine  view 
from  the  windows,  away  over  the  undulating  hills 
beyond  Cassel,  helped  to  beguile  the  rather 
wearisome  standing  about  and  half-hearted  after- 
dinner  conversation.  One  of  the  old  generals  who 
wanted  to  improve  his  English  always  came 
ponderously  in  my  direction  if  he  saw  me  glancing 
at  some  of  the  English  fashion-papers  lying  on 
the  table,  as  he  declared  himself  deeply  interested 
in  "  ladies'  toilettes."  I  was  always  rather  appre- 
hensive when  he  turned  over  the  leaves,  looking 
at  them  carefully  through  his  eyeglass,  and  when 
he  got  to  the  hair  "  transformations "  usually 
thought  it  best  to  retire  before  he  reached  pages 
of  a  still  more  intimate  nature. 

Jerome  Bonaparte  inhabited  Wilhelmshohe  for 
seven  years  when  he  was  King  of  Westphalia,  and 
introduced  all  the  Empire  sofas  and  chairs.  The 
salon  of  the  Princess  was  a  delightful  room  with 


WILHELMSHOHE  207 

a  parquet  floor,  panelled  and  painted  white,  and 
the  mahogany  furniture  was  upholstered  in  a 
most  beautiful  tone  of  striped  yellow  satin. 
Leading  from  it  was  the  breakfast-room,  with 
striped  red-satin  wall-coverings  hung  with  pic- 
tures of  the  children  of  the  House  of  Hesse- 
Cassel,  to  whom  the  Schloss  belonged  before 
they  lost  it  by  righting  against  Prussia  in 
the  war  of  1866.  These  unfortunate  infants  of 
two  or  three  years  were  dressed  in  stuffy,  heavy, 
thickly-embroidered  garments  of  black  and  red 
velvet,  and  wore  stiffly-starched,  scratchy-looking 
ruffs  round  their  poor  little  chubby  necks. 

In  Wilhelmshohe  Schloss  Napoleon  III.  was 
lodged  after  being  taken  prisoner  by  the  Germans. 
In  the  Empress's  sitting-room  is  the  writing-table 
he  used,  with  the  hole  burnt  in  it  where  he  always 
laid  his  cigar. 

Not  far  from  Wilhelmshohe,  just  a  pleasant 
drive  of  an  hour  or  so,  past  yellowing  cornfields, 
under  rows  of  apple  and  cherry  trees,  lay  Wilhelms- 
thal,  a  charming  country-house  lying  in  a  tiny 
hamlet  far  from  a  railway  station,  also  built  by 
an  Elector  of  Hesse  and  inhabited  by  the  before- 
mentioned  King  Jerome.  This  delightful  little 
summer  Schloss  has  hardly  been  touched  in  its 
arrangements  since  the  great  Napoleon's  brother 
left  it.  All  the  beds  remain  with  the  French  eagle 
spreading  its  wings  above  the  green  silk  curtains  ; 
the  Dresden  china  figures  he  looked  at  every  day 
still  occupy  their  places  on  the  shelves ;  the 
china  timepiece  that  struck  the  hour  yet  stands 
beside  his  bed,  though  it  has  long  ago  ceased  to 
measure  time.     The  tourist  can  lean  out  of  the 


208    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

windows  of  his  bedroom  and  see  the  carp,  de- 
scendants of  those  he  used  to  feed,  or  perhaps  the 
very  same  fish,  swimming  about  in  the  pond  a 
little  distance  away.  It  is  a  place  where  time 
seems  to  have  stood  still  for  the  last  hundred 
years. 

The  Emperor  in  Wilhelmshohe  liked  to  ride  at 
about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  while  it  was 
still  comparatively  cool.  He  was  almost  invari- 
ably accompanied  by  the  Empress,  as  well  as  by 
any  other  members  of  his  family  who  happened 
to  be  staying  at  the  castle. 

It  was  a  pretty  sight  to  watch  the  procession 
of  horses  coming  two  by  two  from  the  stables 
across  the  road,  each  horse  led  by  a  groom,  while 
two  Sattel  Meisters  in  cocked  hats  and  much 
embroidered  uniforms  walked  behind  them,  all 
being  under  the  command  of  two  officers,  the 
Emperor's  Leib-Stall-M eister  and  that  of  the 
Empress. 

A  former  Master  of  the  Horse  to  His  Majesty, 
Baron  von  Holzing-Berstett,  was  one  of  the  judges 
at  the  International  Horse  Show  at  Olympia  a 
few  years  ago. 

All  the  tourists  from  the  hotel  opposite  used 
to  assemble  outside  the  Schloss  gates,  under  the 
stern  control  of  two  gendarmes,  who  kept  them 
penned  on  one  side  of  the  road. 

The  horses  were  halted  in  the  shadow  near  the 
big  pillared  portico  of  the  Schloss,  and  as  soon 
as  the  attendant  gentlemen  and  ladies  emerged, 
were  brought  up  and  walked  round  the  terrace 
by  the  grooms  till  a  start  was  made.  As  a  rule 
the  Emperor  and  Empress  were  very  punctual, 


WILHELMSHOHE  209 

and  nothing  annoyed  His  Majesty  more  than  to 
be  kept  waiting.  A  lady  always  rode  in  attend- 
ance on  the  Empress,  but  as  one  of  those  who 
could  ride — only  two  out  of  the  four  were  able 
to  do  so — was  usually  absent  on  her  holidays  at 
this  time,  I  often  was  called  upon  to  supply  the 
place  of  the  absent  Hof-Dame.  The  Princess,  when 
her  lessons  began  again,  had  to  ride  at  five  in  the 
evening  instead  of  seven,  so  I  very  frequently 
managed  two  rides  a  day,  and  even  sometimes 
three.  Often  I  was  summoned  in  the  early 
morning  from  my  repose  by  a  breathless  footman. 

"  Will  gnddiges  Frdulein  please  get  up  at  once 
to  ride  with  Her  Majesty  ?  The  Countess  has  a 
cold.     In  five  minutes  the  horses  will  be  round." 

So  that  I  became  an  expert  in  quick  dressing, 
and  generally  managed  to  be  ready  in  time. 

The  Emperor's  suite  was  always  fairly  large, 
and  as  each  of  his  sons  when  he  accompanied  his 
father  had  also  his  attendant  gentleman,  often 
consisted  of  sixteen  or  seventeen  persons,  without 
counting  the  officials  and  grooms. 

His  Majesty  in  Wilhelmshohe  nearly  always 
wore  the  comfortable  green  Jager  uniform  in 
which  to  ride,  whereas  in  Neues  Palais  he  almost 
invariably  rode  in  Hussar  uniform.  We  usually 
moved  off  from  the  Terrace  in  three  or  four  rows, 
one  behind  the  other,  and  the  clatter  of  hoofs 
was  like  that  of  a  troop  of  cavalry.  The  morning 
air  from  the  mountains  came  in  gusts  fresh  and 
sparkling  like  wine.  As  soon  as  His  Majesty 
appeared  round  the  curve  of  the  drive,  the 
sentry  flung  open  the  little  iron  gate  leading 
on  to  the  road,  and  the  rows  of  people  outside 

14 


210     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

immediately  produced  and  waved  their  clean 
pocket-handkerchiefs,  which  at  once  aroused  appre- 
hensions in  the  breast  of  the  timid  equestrian 
somewhat  doubtful  of  his  own  powers.  The 
horses  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  were,  of 
course,  specially  trained  to  ignore  these  loyal 
demonstrations,  but  those  of  the  suite,  especially 
if  newly  introduced  into  the  stable,  sometimes 
exhibited  symptoms  of  surprise. 

Practically  only  one  good  riding  road  exists 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Wilhelmshohe,  but  this 
is  a  very  delightful  one,  through  the  lovely  wooded 
grounds  outside  the  park  up  into  the  forest  on 
the  mountain  slopes,  and  then  across  a  beautiful 
stretch  of  grass  along  the  brow  of  the  hills  with 
a  wide  view  on  all  sides.  As  soon  as  they  reached 
the  softer  ground  in  the  forest  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  would  start  off  at  a  brisk  stretching 
canter,  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  party.  After 
a  night's  rain  it  was  not  agreeable  to  ride  in  the 
second  and  third  row,  for  the  dirt  cast  up  by  the 
horses'  hoofs  was  rather  adhesive,  not  like  the 
hard  clean  sand  of  Potsdam,  which  fell  off  again 
as  soon  as  dry.  For  several  miles  the  canter  would 
be  kept  up,  and  then  the  horses  were  breathed  a 
little  and  trotted  homewards  again.  Very  often 
the  Empress  finished  her  ride  at  the  big  statue 
of  Hercules,  where  carriages  were  waiting  and 
grooms  to  take  the  horses  home. 

One  day  the  Princess  had  ridden  alone  with  me, 
and  we  were  returning  from  the  "  Hercules " 
together  in  an  automobile.  The  road  down  the 
steep  hillside  towards  the  castle  is  cut  in  a  series 
of  zigzags  with  very  sharp  turns,  and  at  the  first  of 


WILHELMSHOHE  211 

these,  the  chauffeur  failing  to  turn  early  enough, 
the  car  as  nearly  as  possible  toppled  over  the  edge, 
its  front  wheels  being  just  on  the  verge  when  he 
was  able  to  stop.  Another  inch  would  have  sent  it 
over,  crashing  down  among  the  trees.  The  Princess 
said  afterwards  that  it  was  "  a  thrilling  moment," 
and  I  agreed  that  it  was  one  of  those  deeply 
interesting  intervals  of  time  which  make  one  feel 
keenly  alive.  She  did  not  move  or  say  a  word 
as  we  hung,  but  gripped  her  riding-whip  rather 
hard,  and  only  when  the  big  car  slowly  backed 
and  turned  into  a  safer  position  gave  a  long  deep 
sigh  of  relief.  She  rather  enjoyed  novel  sensa- 
tions, and  especially  gloried  in  the  description  of 
her  own  emotions  at  the  critical  moment.  Like 
the  fat  boy  in  "Pickwick"  she  wanted  to  make 
"your  blood  run  cold"  with  the  narration  of 
hairbreadth  escapes  and  dangerous  situations. 

When  the  afternoons  were  too  hot  to  walk,  His 
Majesty  almost  invariably  playedlawn-tennis.  Grass 
courts  are  non-existent  in  Germany — at  least  they 
are  used  only  by  those  people  who  do  not  take  lawn- 
tennis  seriously  ;  and  all  good  courts  are  made  of  a 
kind  of  concrete  first  used  at  Homburg,  the  com- 
position of  which  is  supposed  to  be  a  secret.  It 
is  an  excellent  preparation,  possessing  a  certain 
elasticity  approximating  to  turf,  and  has  the  ad- 
vantage of  drying  quickly.  Even  if  turf  lawns  could 
be  grown  as  they  are  in  England — and  I  have  never 
met  with  any  that  remotely  resembled  their  close, 
fine  texture — the  heavy  thunderstorms  which  pre- 
vail in  that  district  during  the  hot  weather  would 
frequently  make  it  impossible  to  use  them. 

His  Majesty  plays  lawn-tennis  in  rather  crude- 


212     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

looking  shirts  and  ties,  and  usually  wears  a  Panama 
hat.  Unlike  most  men,  he  looks  perhaps  less  well  in 
such  a  "get-up"  than  in  anything  else.  Young 
officers  from  the  neighbouring  barracks  are  often 
sent  for  to  join  in  a  set,  and  the  Ober-Gouvernante, 
who  was  an  expert  player,  often  had  to  upset 
all  her  arrangements  for  the  afternoon  on  being 
requested  to  play  with  His  Majesty.  As  the  Princess 
grew  older  she  became  quite  a  respectable  player, 
and  all  the  young  Princes,  especially  the  Crown 
Prince  and  Prince  Adalbert,  were  good  at  the 
game,  which  is  exceedingly  popular  in  Germany. 

In  the  evenings,  when  it  grew  rather  cooler,  a 
picnic  supper  was  often  eaten  in  some  spot  among 
the  hills.  Sometimes  we  drove  there  in  carriages, 
and  it  was  the  pride  of  the  Master  of  the  Horse 
to  turn  out  four  or  five  four-in-hands,  which  made 
a  great  sensation  among  the  tourists  as  they 
emerged  from  the  gates  of  the  Schloss. 

The  Royal  Stables  possessed  some  very  fine 
black  Mecklenburg  horses  which  were  used  on 
these  occasions,  but  the  all-conquering  automobile 
has  lately  been  preferred  by  His  Majesty,  who 
likes  to  get  quickly  over  the  ground,  and  also  to 
go  farther  afield  than  horses  can  take  him. 

Those  suppers  in  the  hills  were  very  amusing, 
especially  if,  as  often  happened,  the  Emperor 
decided  that  he  and  the  Empress  should  do  some 
of  the  cooking.  In  spite  of  all  assertions  to  the 
contrary,  the  Empress  knows  nothing  whatever 
about  cooking,  although  a  good  part  of  the 
civilized  world  pictures  her  as  daily  bending 
over  saucepans  and  mixing  ingredients  for  pud- 
dings.    The  nearest  approach  to  the  culinary  art 


WILHELMSHOHE  213 

which  she  has  ever  practised  was  dexterously 
"  tossing  "  a  pancake,  which  she  did  very  neatly, 
and  was  exceedingly  gratified  by  the  applause  of 
the  surrounding  ladies,  one  of  whom  dropped  hers 
on  to  the  ground.  It  happened,  of  course,  at  one 
of  these  picnics,  which  are  accompanied  by  port- 
able stoves  and  several  cooks  with  the  necessary 
implements  and  materials  of  their  trade.  Some 
of  the  gentlemen  of  the  suite,  those  imbued  with 
the  old  Prussian  spirit  of  economy  which  believes 
in  limiting  avenues  of  expenditure,  often  expressed 
impatience  and  disapproval  of  these  suppers. 

"  Now  look  !  "  said  one  of  them  to  me :  "  there 
are  four  carts  for  the  kitchens  alone — horses, 
coachmen,  grooms  ;  think  of  the  work  all  this 
has  caused  these  poor  cooks " — he  glanced  at 
four  white-clad  individuals  who  were  peaceably 
pursuing  their  avocations  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree,  and  appeared  to  be  quite  as  happy  as  the 
rest  of  us. 

"  I  think  they  really  enjoy  it,"  I  said  deprecat- 
ingly  ;  "  of  course  it  is  a  trouble — picnics  usually 
are  ;  but  there  are  plenty  of  horses  in  the  stables — 
they  may  as  well  come  out  here  as  not." 

He  shook  his  head  and  sighed. 

"  Ah,  it  is  a  different  spirit,"  he  said  sadly. 
"  My  father  used  to  tell  me  how  simply  the  Old 
Emperor  William  lived.  Never  took  more  than 
one  adjutant  with  him,  not  this  crowd " — and 
he  waved  his  hand  at  the  row  of  gentlemen  whose 
gaze  was  concentrated  on  the  Emperor  engaged 
in  concocting  some  kind  of  a  strawberry  Bowie. 
"  Never  used  more  than  one  carriage  if  he  could 
help  it,  at  most  two.     Look  at  that  procession"— 


214     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

and  his  gaze  wandered  dubiously  to  the  long  line 
of  vehicles  which  stood  in  the  shade  a  little  way- 
down  the  hill.  We  could  hear  the  clink  of  bits 
and  the  stamp  of  the  waiting  horses. 

"  The  Old  Emperor  William,"  I  ventured,  "  was 
King  of  Prussia  for  a  good  while  before  he  became 
German  Emperor ;  he  could  not  change  his  habits 
later  on.  Besides,  everybody  lives  more  extrava- 
gantly now ;  even  the  working  classes " 

He  groaned  and  shook  his  head,  and  murmured 
something  which  sounded  disapproving  and  pro- 
phetic of  disaster. 

One  day  at  dinner  in  Wilhelmshohe  one  of  the 
guests  was  a  water-finder,  and  when,  as  usual,  we 
all  went  out  on  the  terrace,  he  produced  his  rod, 
a  ramshackle  affair  like  a  piece  of  iron  wire,  and 
we  were  all  invited  to  try  our  skill.  Many  of 
the  gentlemen  were  frankly  sceptical,  and  the  only 
one  of  them  with  whom  the  rod  made  any  definite 
movement  was  the  worst  unbeliever  of  them  all. 

The  Emperor  was  very  annoyed  at  their  unbelief, 
and  said  that  he  was  going  to  send  the  gentleman 
with  the  divining-rod  to  South  Africa,  where  he 
would  be  able  to  discover  not  only  springs  of 
water,  but  diamonds  and  gold.  His  Majesty  had 
recently  been  gratified  by  the  fresh  discovery  of 
small  diamonds  in  German-African  territory,  and 
exhibited  with  great  glee  his  cigarette-case  in 
which  they  had  been  mounted.  He  explained  to 
us  all  that  they  had  been  found,  not,  as  is  usual, 
embedded  in  blue  clay,  but  lying  on  the  surface 
loose  in  the  sand,  and  that  one  of  the  German 
workers  on  the  new  railway  had  gathered  up  a 
handful  in  a  few  minutes.     He  also  gave  it  as  his 


WILHELMSHOHE  215 

opinion  that  they  had  blown  along  from  some  as 
yet  undiscovered  mine  somewhere  in  the  hills. 

I  suggested  in  a  whisper  to  the  Princess,  who 
was  very  triumphant  over  these  German  diamonds, 
that  they  had  probably  blown  over  the  frontier 
from  British  territory,  and  she  immediately  com- 
municated this  theory  of  mine  to  her  father. 

"  No,  no  !  "  roared  the  Emperor  in  pretended 
anger.  "  Blew  over  from  British  territory  indeed  ! 
nothing  of  the  kind  !  "  He  scowled  portentously 
and — as  was  his  habit — shook  a  monitory  finger 
in  my  direction. 

When  the  Court  returned  to  Neues  Palais  from 
Wilhelmshohe  after  the  Emperor  returned  from 
the  great  autumn  manoeuvres,  as  long  as  the  fine 
weather  lasted — and  the  autumn  in  Potsdam 
is  wonderfully  beautiful — he  would  make  excur- 
sions on  his  little  river  steamer  the  Alexandria 
along  the  beautiful  chain  of  lakes  which  is  one  of 
the  great  charms  of  that  district. 

The  private  landing-stage  had  been  built  by 
His  Majesty  of  wood  in  quaint  Norwegian  style, 
with  two  large  waiting-rooms  and  a  wide  balcony 
overlooking  the  water.  Ranged  on  shelves  round 
the  rooms  was  every  variety  of  Norwegian  bowl ; 
some  brightly-painted  red  ones  with  dragon  beak 
and  tail,  others  very  beautifully  carved  in  Nor- 
wegian patterns.  They  had  most  of  them  been 
brought  back  from  Norway  by  the  Emperor 
himself.  The  chairs  were  of  the  uncompromisingly 
hard  Norwegian  peasant  type,  made  entirely  of 
wood  and  without  any  attempt  at  adaptation  to 
human  contours.  The  sailors  who  manned  the 
Alexandria  were  some  of  the  crew  of  the  Hohen- 


216    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

zollern,  and  looked  very  smart  in  their  white-duck 
uniforms. 

As  a  rule  we  went  in  the  steamer  to  the  Pfauen- 
Insel  or  Isle  of  Peacocks,  where  was  a  very  queer 
little  Schloss,  built  to  resemble  an  imitation  ruin, 
though  the  imitation  was  very  badly  done.  It 
had  been  a  favourite  resort  of  Queen  Louise  of 
Prussia  and  her  husband,  and  in  the  cupboards 
upstairs  were  still  to  be  found  some  most  ex- 
traordinary-looking old  bonnets  of  hers  of  the 
coal-scuttle  type.  Not  far  from  the  Schloss  was  a 
Rutsch-Bahn  or  toboggan  slide,  which  the  Princess 
liked  immensely,  and  always  insisted  that  I  should 
join  her  in  one  of  the  dreadful  "  rushes,"  which 
were  accomplished  in  little  boxes  something  like 
sleighs,  with  room  for  two  people  inside  and  one 
man  outside,  who  had  to  stand  on  the  runners 
and  push  off  from  the  top.  We  went  down  at  a 
tremendous  pace,  finally  landing  on  the  grass  at 
the  bottom,  where  we  bumped  terrifically  till  the 
impetus  was  spent.  The  man  behind  always  had 
to  lean  over  the  inside  occupants  and  grasp  at 
two  handles  in  front  of  the  car. 

In  a  sheltered  angle  of  the  Schloss  itself  the 
supper-table  was  spread  by  the  footmen  with  the 
cold  viands  which  had  been  brought  from  the 
New  Palace.  All  round  lay  the  shining  water, 
and  there  was  a  constant  rustling  and  whispering 
of  the  reeds  as  they  bowed  and  curtsied  to  the 
night  wind.  Sometimes  on  the  warm  September 
evenings  the  Emperor  would  remain  a  long  time 
at  table  talking  and  smoking  by  the  light  of 
candles,  enclosed  in  tall  glass  chimneys  to  protect 
them  from  the  draught.     No  one  was  permitted  to 


WILHELMSHOHE  217 

smoke  excepting  His  Majesty — chiefly,  I  believe, 
because  the  Empress  has  a  very  strong  dislike 
to  the  odour  of  tobacco. 

Usually  the  "  visitors'  book  "  of  the  Schloss  was 
produced  some  time  during  the  evening,  and 
every  one  present  signed  it.  It  contained  many 
interesting  signatures  of  long-dead-and-gone  celeb- 
rities, and  the  firm,  clear  writing  of  the  Emperor 
and  Empress  Frederick  occurred  frequently,  as 
well  as  that  of  the  "  Old  Emperor"  and  Bismarck. 

If  during  the  cruise  the  weather  turned  colder, 
the  supper  was  taken  to  the  landing-stage — the 
Matrosen  Station,  as  it  was  called — and  eaten 
there  in  the  Norwegian  rooms,  the  guests  sitting 
uncomfortably  on  the  Norwegian  chairs.  No 
opportunity  of  eating  out  of  doors  was  ever  lost, 
and  when  time  did  not  allow  of  an  excursion, 
supper  was  served  on  the  terrace  just  outside  the 
windows  of  the  palace,  where  the  orange  trees 
scented  the  air,  and  the  mosquitoes  were  kept  at 
bay  by  braziers  of  charcoal  on  which  juniper 
berries  were  burned. 

Sometimes,  instead  of  going  by  water  to  Pfauen 
Insel,  the  court  drove  in  carriages  to  Sacrow,  a 
small  Schloss  uninhabited  except  by  the  Kastellan 
and  his  wife,  situated  in  a  lovely  tangled  wilderness 
of  garden  overlooking  the  water.  To  get  to  the 
other  side  it  was  necessary  to  use  the  ferry,  and 
when  the  Princess  crossed  it  in  the  afternoon  with 
her  ponies,  she  would  assist  the  ferryman  to  warp 
his  craft  over  the  river.  Once  when  we  went  to 
Sacrow  with  an  automobile,  the  shirt-sleeved 
waiter  from  the  adjacent  restaurant,  the  blue- 
jersey  ed  man  in  charge  of  the  ferry  and  the  Princess 


218    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

worked  all  in  a  row,  walking  slowly  along  the 
rope,  gravely  performing  their  task  together, 
while  the  two  chauffeurs  in  their  elegant  royal 
livery  regarded  this  pleasantly  democratic  picture 
with  hardly  concealed  surprise  and  amusement. 

The  woods  round  Sacrow  were  the  most  beautiful 
of  any  in  the  neighbourhood,  threaded  with  sandy 
paths  which  skirted  the  water  side.  In  one  part 
were  the  kennels  of  the  Konigliche  Meute  or  royal 
pack  of  hounds,  which  we  visited  once  or  twice 
in  the  summer-time  before  the  hunting  began. 

During  the  autumn  and  winter  these  hounds 
hunted  two  or  three  times  a  week  at  Doberitz 
after  wild  boar,  carted  from  one  of  the  Emperor's 
neighbouring  forests.  The  meets  were  attended 
almost  exclusively  by  the  officers  of  the  regiments 
stationed  in  Potsdam,  and  very  often  by  the 
Emperor.  The  Empress,  although  very  fond  of 
riding,  was  not  at  all  keen  on  hunting,  and  rarely 
appeared  except  on  St.  Hubert's  Day,  which  is 
a  very  ceremonial  occasion,  the  horses  being 
decorated  with  green  ribbons,  and  every  one 
riding  in  pink  with  chimney-pot  hat,  whereas  on 
ordinary  occasions  the  round  velvet  hunting-cap 
and  black  coat  may  be  worn. 

The  Emperor  invariably  gives  a  hunting  dinner 
on  the  evening  of  this  day,  when  all  the  gentlemen 
invited  appear  in  pink,  each  one  wearing  in  the  but- 
tonhole of  his  coat  the  spray  of  oak-leaves  which 
is  the  trophy  presented  to  everybody  "in  at  the 
death."  When  the  Emperor  is  present  at  a  hunt, 
he  himself  distributes  the  bunches  of  oak-leaves ; 
otherwise  it  is  one  of  the  duties  of  the  M.F.H. 

The  riding-horses  of  His  Majesty  are  mostly 


WILHELMSHOHE  219 

big-boned  weight-carriers  of  English  or  Irish 
breed,  trained  in  the  royal  stables  for  six  months 
or  so  before  being  ridden  by  the  Emperor. 

Those  of  the  Empress  are  in  charge  of  a  second 
official,  who  is  responsible  for  their  good  behaviour. 

Once,  as  Their  Majesties  rode  together  in  the 
early  morning  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Potsdam, 
the  (horse  of  the  Empress^  stumbled  and  fell, 
turning  a  complete  somersault  and  throwing  its 
rider  on  to  her  head,  fortunately  without  serious 
injury,  thanks  to  the  hard  straw  hat  she  was 
wearing. 

It  is  a  very  dreadful  business  for  an  Empress 
to  fall  from  her  horse,  even  when  she  receives 
no  particular  harm.  It  usually  happens  before  a 
crowd  of  people,  some  of  whom  are  necessarily 
held  responsible  for  the  accident  ;  and  on  this 
occasion  one  or  two  of  the  officials  became  hys- 
terical and  shed  tears,  while  the  Emperor,  under 
the  stress  of  the  incident,  used  some  rather  sharp 
and  very  excusable  words  of  censure.  The  adju- 
tants scattered  themselves  wildly  over  the  surface 
of  the  earth  in  search  of  a  doctor,  while  Princes 
Oskar  and  Joachim,  who  were  also  riding  with 
their  parents,  did  the  same. 

Prince  Oskar  discovered  no  doctor,  but  did 
manage  to  find  a  droschky  with  a  miserable- 
looking  horse  and  a  very  dirty,  unkempt  driver, 
who  was  sitting  peacefully  dreaming  on  his  box  in 
front  of  a  house,  waiting  for  his  "  fare,"  a  young 
officer,  to  come  out.  Prince  Oskar  immediately 
ordered  him  to  come  and  drive  Her  Majesty  home, 
but  the  droschky- driver  demurred,  saying  he  was 
already  engaged  and  could  not  leave  his  fare  in 


220     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

the  lurch.  The  Prince  insisted,  but  the  faithful 
cabman,  perhaps  doubtful  of  the  bona  fides  of  the 
affair,  still  refused  the  proffered  honour  of  driving 
the  Empress  home ;  so  finally  the  Prince  drew  his 
sword  and  bade  him  in  the  name  of  military 
authority  (paramount  in  Germany)  to  proceed 
with  him  at  once  to  the  indicated  spot,  bringing 
his  droschky  with  him.  So  grumbling  loudly  all 
the  way,  the  disgusted  Jehu  did  as  he  was  bid, 
obviously  still  convinced  that  he  was  the  victim 
of  some  practical  joke,  and  presently  found  him- 
self the  centre  of  a  brilliant  but  agitated  circle 
of  people,  all  talking  and  suggesting  different 
things. 

Her  Majesty,  who  protested  at  being  treated 
as  an  injured  person,  as  she  felt  perfectly  well 
except  for  the  momentary  alarm,  would  have 
much  preferred  to  remount  her  horse  and  ride 
home  quietly  without  so  much  unnecessary  fuss; 
but  had  perforce  to  get  into  the  evil-smelling, 
dirty  vehicle  with  her  lady-in-waiting,  and, escorted 
by  her  two  sons  and  one  or  two  crestfallen  officials, 
arrived  home,  where  a  very  frightened  young 
military  doctor,  who  had  been  somehow  unearthed 
from  a  neighbouring  barracks,  thought  after  a 
short  examination  that  it  was  advisable  for  the 
Empress  to  keep  her  bed.  He  was  then  dis- 
missed with  appropriate  thanks,  and  the  Court 
doctor,  who  had  been  summoned  from  Berlin, 
immediately  ordered  Her  Majesty  to  get  up  and 
go  about  as  usual.  The  flutter  in  the  Palace  that 
day  was  indescribable,  and  one  of  the  strangest 
things  was  the  absolute  divergence  of  opinion 
among  the  spectators  of  the  accident.     No  two  of 


WILHELMSHOHE  221 

them  agreed  as  to  the  exact  manner  in  which  it 
took  place,  and  the  discussions  about  unimportant 
details  grew  almost  acrimonious. 

The  droschky-driver  reaped  most  advantage 
from  the  occurrence,  and  still  relates  to  an  ad- 
miring Potsdam  the  part  he  played  in  extricating 
Her  Majesty  from  a  serious  dilemma. 


CHAPTER    XII 

CADINEN 

CADINEN  (pronounced  Caddmen)  and  its 
glories  were,  for  the  first  few  months  of 
our  acquaintance,  a  frequent  topic  of  the 
Princess's  conversation,  so  that  it  was  with  very 
lively  interest  that  I  found  myself  in  the  month 
of  June  of  the  following  year  journeying  towards 
its  promised  felicities.  We  were  travelling  all 
night  in  the  special  train,  which  carried  the  usual 
portentous  amount  of  luggage,  besides  three  tutors, 
one  doctor,  a  lady-in-waiting,  myself,  and  various 
footmen  and  maids.  In  addition  to  Prince  Joachim 
and  his  sister,  their  two  young  cousins,  Princes 
Max  and  Fritz  of  Hesse,  whose  acquaintance  I  had 
made  in  Homburg,  were  also  going  with  us. 

Her  Majesty  was  to  come  to  Cadinen  later, 
when  the  Kieler  Woche  was  over,  bringing  with 
her  Prince  Oskar  and  Prince  August  Wilhelm 
from  Ploen. 

His  Majesty  never  came  at  the  same  time  as 
his  family,  for  the  simple  reason  that  there  was 
then  no  room  for  himself  and  his  numerous  suite  : 
even  on  ordinary  occasions  it  was  a  very  tight 
fit  for  everybody. 

Once,  with  a  sudden  determination  to  see  how 
the  Empress  was  getting  on,  the  Emperor  made 

222 


DINING-HA1.L   AT    ROMINTEN,    HUNG   WITH   TROPHIES    FALLEN   TO 

THE   EMPEROR'S   GUN 


CADINEN  228 

a  descent  of  three  or  four  days,  announcing  his 
coming  only  a  few  hours  beforehand.  A  kind  of 
general  shuffle  of  apartments  had  to  be  made 
instantly,  everybody  packing  up  their  things  and 
squeezing  themselves  into  little  out-of-the-way 
holes  and  corners.  Every  house  in  the  village 
having  a  decent  spare  room  was  requisitioned, 
but  only  two  were  available,  the  rest  being  im- 
possible ;  and  somebody  suggested  a  tent  on  the 
lawn,  but  unfortunately  there  were  no  tents. 

Most  of  His  Majesty's  adjutants  had  to  use  the 
train,  shunted  on  to  a  siding,  as  an  hotel,  sleeping 
and  dressing  there  in  much  discomfort ;  for  it  is 
one  thing  to  live  simply,  divested  of  life's  super- 
fluities, and  quite  another  to  retain  a  courtier-like 
appearance  in  the  midst  of  an  absolute  dearth  of 
means  to  that  end. 

"  We  have  only  accommodation  for  a  tooth- 
brush and  a  cake  of  soap,  yet  must  change  into 
four  different  costumes  every  day,"  complained 
one  unfortunate  Kammer-Herr. 

Fortunately  it  only  lasted  for  four  days,  and 
then  the  Emperor  and  his  suite  departed  to 
more  comfortable  and  roomy  quarters. 

But  on  our  first  visit  we  had  the  house  to  our- 
selves and  plenty  of  space  in  which  to  move 
about. 

The  journey  from  Berlin  is  long  and  slow,  and 
appears  interminable.  The  train  passes  through 
very  flat,  uninteresting  country,  especially  during 
the  last  few  miles,  where  the  railway  approaches 
the  Frisches  Haff,  that  curious  bay  formed  by 
the  waters  of  the  sluggish  Vistula,  separated 
from    the    Gulf    of    Danzig   by   a  thin  strip    of 


224    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

sand  which  stretches  some  hundred  miles  along 
the  coast. 

Cadinen  is  about  ten  miles  from  Elbing,  which 
is  reached  from  there  by  a  train  which  puffs 
leisurely  up  and  down  the  single  branch  line  at  long 
intervals  of  the  day.  The  station  platform  at  this 
little  village,  when  I  first  knew  it,  was  practically 
non-existent.  One  descended  from  the  blue-and- 
gold  royal  train  right  on  to  the  meadow.  Great 
purple  columbines,  yellow  and  blue  lupines,  seemed 
to  be  almost  growing  over  the  line  itself.  No 
road  was  visible  excepting  a  sandy  cart-track,  full 
of  ruts,  where  three  or  four  of  the  royal  carriages, 
looking  entirely  out  of  place,  were  waiting  to  take 
us  up  to  the  Schloss.  One  felt  that  a  farm-cart 
drawn  by  a  yoke  of  oxen  would  have  been  more 
appropriate. 

We  bumped  towards  the  Schloss,  the  coach- 
man wisely  eschewing  the  track  and  driving  over 
the  meadow  itself,  past  a  Zigelei  (tile-factory) 
belonging  to  the  Emperor,  and  up  a  shady  lane  of 
ancient  and  weathered  oaks,  till  we  came  to  one 
of  those  stucco,  villa-like  country-houses  usual 
in  the  Fatherland,  which  makes  it  easy  to  under- 
stand why  the  Germans  fall  into  raptures  over 
ours  in  England. 

It  stood,  with  a  small  interval  of  untidy  lawn, 
close  to  the  road  and  opposite  the  village  green 
and  duck-pond,  around  which  other  houses  were 
clustered.  At  the  back  was  what  is  called  a  park 
in  Germany,  but  the  term  has  no  relation  to  the 
English  idea  of  a  park,  and  means  simply  an 
extensive  garden  and  orchard.  A  lovely  avenue  of 
chestnut  trees  was  the  chief  beauty  of  the  garden; 


CADINEN  225 

They  unfortunately  grew  close  up  to  the  house,  and 
made  some  of  the  bedrooms  so  dark  that  on  dull 
days  one  could  not  read  or  write  without  a  lamp 
on  the  writing-table,  which  was  very  inconvenient, 
especially  as  our  rooms  had  to  serve  as  combined 
sitting-  and  bed-rooms. 

The  Empress  and  the  Princess  had  with  them 
all  their  servants,  including  housemaids,  from  the 
New  Palace,  but  peasant-women  of  the  neighbour- 
hood waited  upon  the  suite — clean,  strong,  healthy- 
looking  people  who  usually  worked  barefoot  in  the 
fields  for  a  wage  of  threepence  or  fourpence  a  day, 
but  at  the  advent  of  the  court  were  thrust  into 
print  gowns  and  boots,  and,  wearing  little  flat 
caps  on  their  heads,  pervaded  the  house,  smiling 
broadly.  They  spoke  with  an  engaging  West- 
Prussian  accent,  and  only  came  for  an  hour  or  two 
in  the  mornings,  and  again  in  the  afternoons  for 
another  short  spell  of  work.  In  the  intervals 
they  went  back  to  their  occupations  in  the  fields, 
for  the  Inspektor  did  not  approve  of  their  absence 
just  at  the  busy  harvest  time.  They  were  all  of 
them  Catholics,  for  the  Reformation  never  pene- 
trated to  that  district,  and  /among  themasT  much 
Polish  blood.  * 

In  the  rather  untidy  but  pleasant  Schloss 
garden  was  an  ornamental  pond,  from  which  arose 
at  every  moment  of  the  day  and  night,  never 
ceasing,  never  changing,  a  pitiful  moaning  cry, 
which  speedily  got  on  to  everybody's  nerves,  and 
was  possibly  the  reason  why  all  the  grown-up 
people  felt  rather  snappy  and  cross  during  the 
first  few  days.  It  had  somewhat  the  effect  on 
one' s  mind  of  a  squeaking  slate-pencil,  and  speedily 

15 


226    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

became  intolerable,  for  it  penetrated  the  house, 
and  nowhere  was  there  a  refuge  from  the  nerve- 
rending   noise. 

It  was  the  cry  of  the  Unken,  a  peculiarly  loath- 
some kind  of  frog  which  inhabited  the  pond,  where 
large  green  frogs  whose  note  was  a  comparatively 
cheerful  kind  of  cackle  lived  in  harmony  with 
these  almost  invisible  but  painfully  audible  pests. 

The  term  Unken-ruf  (Unken-cry)  is  used  in 
Germany  to  express  any  persistently  ominous 
prediction,  and  is  a  very  expressive  term,  for  there 
are  few  things  more  depressing  to  the  spirits  than 
the  call  of  these  tiny  black  creatures. 

Rendered  desperate,  however,  by  our  sufferings, 
the  little  Hessian  princes  produced  a  butterfly 
net  and  managed  after  some  trouble  to  catch 
a  good  many  of  the  Unken,  which  floated  on  the 
top  of  the  pond,  and  were  practically  invisible 
except  for  a  tiny  green  spot  which  projected  over 
each  eye.  The  princes  speedily  became  very 
expert  at  locating  them,  and  enjoyed  excellent 
sport  every  day  after  dinner,  catching  over  a 
hundred  in  two  or  three  days.  The  horrid,  slimy, 
glutinous  things — which  the  Princess  handled  with- 
out any  qualms — were  a  bright  flame-colour  under- 
neath and  deep  black  above.  They  were  carefully 
transferred  in  a  water-can  to  the  Half,  which 
was  not  far  away,  and  everyone  felt  much  benefited 
by  their  change  of  quarters. 

The  chief  charm  of  Cadinen  was  its  idyllic 
simplicity.  There  were  no  tourists,  no  "  re- 
spectable "  people,  just  simple  workers  in  the 
fields  and  crowds  of  bare-footed  sunburnt  chil- 
dren.    Pigs,    sheep,    and   chickens   pervaded   the 


CADINEN  227 

place,  all  of  them  belonging  to  His  Majesty,  who 
had  purchased  the  whole  estate  just  as  it  stood 
and  proceeded  with  characteristic  energy  to 
improve  it.  Gradually  he  changed  the  prevailing 
simplicity  of  everything,  and  built  new  stables  as 
well  as  a  large  automobile  garage,  containing  ample 
accommodation  for  grooms  and  chauffeurs.  He 
pulled  down  the  old  picturesque  houses,  where  the 
children  and  pigs  and  chickens  had  lived  together 
in  happy  amity,  and  erected  some  very  pretty 
gabled  cottages,  the  plans  of  which  had  been  sent 
to  him  from  England  — charming  cottages,  with 
roses  climbing  over  the  door  and  wire  netting 
round  the  grass  plot  to  keep  out  the  hens,  not 
forgetting  a  nice  convenient  pigsty  at  the  back — 
but  the  bare-footed  peasant  women  with  the  hand- 
kerchiefs tied  over  their  heads  never  looked  very 
much  at  home  in  them,  and  were  always  sighing 
after  the  old,  dirty,  insanitary  houses  around 
whose  memory  their  heart-fibres  still  clung. 

The  Emperor  was  very  angry  and  impatient 
one  day  with  a  woman  who  expressed  some  of 
this  regret,  and  told  her  she  was  ungrateful ;  yet 
it  was  obviously  not  ingratitude  that  prompted 
her  to  speak,  but  rather  a  wistful  retrospect,  a 
sorrowful  longing  for  the  scenes  associated  with 
all  the  joys  she  had  ever  known.  Even  the  duck- 
pond,  that  enchanted  spot  where  the  Princess 
from  her  window  watched  every  evening  the 
farm  horses  as  they  waded  in  and  drank 
delicately  just  in  the  yellow  and  scarlet  glory 
of  the  sunset,  where  the  herd  of  cows  came  and 
stood  in  the  water,  switching  their  tails  and 
taking  long,   deliberate  draughts   every  evening 


228     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

after  milking-time — all  was  done  away  with, 
the  pond  filled  up,  the  green  levelled  and  kept 
smoothly  rolled.  No  children  or  dogs  played  on 
it  any  more,  the  horses  and  cattle  went  another 
way  home,  and  sentries,  those  adjutants  of 
royalty,  were  posted  where  erstwhile  the  geese 
had  waddled  across  the  grass. 

Fortunately  it  was  some  time  before  all  these 
improvements  were  made.  No  sentries  marred 
those  early  years  in  Cadinen.  Only  one  or  two 
green  Gendarms  wandered  about  the  place  or  sat 
somnolently  in  the  sunshine.  The  clink  of  the 
blacksmith's  shop  penetrated  the  open  windows 
of  the  schoolroom  as  the  Princess  read  with  her 
tutor.  The  blacksmith  was  a  most  delightful 
man,  who  had  been  at  sea  and  travelled  far 
afield,  and  was  still  young  and  handsome,  with 
a  pleasant-faced  wife  and  two  little  children,  one 
of  whom,  Lenchen,  squinted  most  frightfully,  but 
was  a  great  friend  of  the  Princess. 

"  Every  year  it  seems  to  me  that  Lenchen 
squints  worse,"  she  would  sigh  after  the  first 
interview;  "but  perhaps  it  is  because  I  haven't 
seen  her  for  so  long.  She  is  going  to  be  operated 
on  next  winter.  She  would  be  quite  pretty  if 
her  eyes  were  right." 

A  village  forge  has  been  from  time  immemorial 
an  irresistible  attraction  to  children,  and  it  was 
surprising  how  all  roads  in  Cadinen  seemed  some- 
how to  lead  past  the  blacksmith's,  who  was 
always  either  fitting  shoes  on  horses,  or  mending 
a  ploughshare,  or  doing  something  interesting  of 
that  kind. 

"So  useful,"  said  the  Princess  as  she  gazed— 


CADINEN  229 

"  so  much  better  than  learning  the  date  of  the 
Silesian  Wars,  isn't  it  ?  " 

Sometimes  she  helped  to  blow  the  bellows. 

A  tiny  chapel,  capable  of  holding  about  twenty 
people,  had  been  built  on  the  top  of  a  very  steep 
hill  in  the  "  park."  Every  Sunday  morning  we 
toiled  pantingly  up  to  Gottes-Dienst.  A  stalwart 
clergyman  came  over  from  Elbing  to  hold  the 
service,  and  always  stood  at  the  door  of  the  church 
and  shook  hands  with  each  worshipper,  saying, 
"  God  greet  you."  He  seemed  almost  a  size  too 
large  for  the  chapel,  so  tall  and  broad  was  he. 
From  the  doorway  was  a  wide  view  over  the  Haff, 
which  was  always  muddy  in  colour  except  at 
sunrise,  when  it  was  blue,  and  at  sunset,  when  it 
turned  yellow  and  pink  and  sometimes  blood-red ; 
but  beyond  it  there  was  always  a  clear  strip  of 
deeper  blue — the  waters  of  the  Baltic,  or  Ost-See 
(East  Sea)  as  it  is  called  in  Germany.  We  grew 
to  know  the  Haff  very  well,  for  every  afternoon 
the  children  were  taken  across  it  in  a  little  steamer 
to  bathe  at  a  tiny  place  called  Kahlberg,  which 
lay  on  the  farther  shore. 

This  small  steamer,  called  the  Radaune,  was 
hired  from  somebody  in  Danzig  for  a  few  weeks 
every  summer,  and  manned  by  three  mariners 
whom  the  children  considered  with  much  reason  to 
be  the  cleverest  and  most  delightful  men  they  had 
ever  met.  One  named  Vigand  was  captain  and 
steersman,  another  attended  to  the  machinery,  and 
a  third  just  hovered  generally  around,  fetching 
out  camp-stools  and  answering  questions,  at  which 
he  showed  himself  most  fluent  and  explanatory. 

Prince  Joachim,  under  Vigand' s  strict  tuition, 


280    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

took  lessons  in  steering ;  and  the  duties  of  the 
man  at  the  engine  were  not  so  arduous  but  that 
he  found  time  to  pop  his  head  up  on  deck  and 
join  in  the  conversation  for  several  minutes  at  a 
time. 

The  doctor  and  both  the  tutors,  two  maids  and 
two  footmen,  also  two  dogs,  always  accompanied 
us  ;  for  we  took  tea  on  to  the  shore  as  well  as  bath 
towels  and  changes  of  dry  garments,  as  the  Princess 
had  a  knack  of  falling  into  a  wave  fully  dressed,  so 
that  one  had  to  be  prepared  for  emergencies. 

The  Haff  itself  was  a  greasy,  oily,  rather  smelly 
stretch  of  water  in  the  hot  weather — so  stagnant 
that  a  small  weed  grew  on  its  surface — b>ut  it 
suffered  occasional  violent  storms,  which  dis- 
pelled the  oily  greasiness  but  tossed  the  tiny 
steamer  up  and  down  in  a  manner  most  disagree- 
able to  indifferent  sailors.  Fortunately  it  only 
took  half  an  hour  to  get  to  the  opposite  side,  but 
even  that  was  too  long  for  some  people,  and  they 
succumbed  to  the  horrors  of  sea-sickness  almost 
in  sight  of  port. 

Arrived  on  the  other  side,  we  had,  until  a  small 
pier  was  built,  to  get  into  a  boat  and  row  to 
shore,  then  walk  over  a  strip  of  sand,  which  took 
perhaps  seven  or  eight  minutes,  and  there  on  the 
other  side  lay  the  sand-dunes  with  the  beautiful 
clean  Baltic  Sea  dimpling  in  a  curve  of  white 
foam. 

In  the  distance  away  to  the  left  could  be  seen 
the  houses  and  "  pensions "  of  the  tiny  fishing 
village  of  Kahlberg,  to  which  visitors  came  in 
the  season.  The  far  end  of  the  shore  was  strictly 
reserved   for   the  use   of   the   royal   children,   so 


CADINEN  231 

that  they  were  able  to  enjoy  themselves  without 
restriction. 

It  was  perhaps  the  most   uninteresting  bit   of 
coast    to    be    found    anywhere.      The    Baltic    is 
practically  tideless,  and  the  shore  has  no  rocks  to 
break  the  long  monotony  of  sand  which  stretches 
away  for  a  hundred  miles  eastward.     The   sun 
blazed  down  fiercely  with  the  usual  untempered 
glare  of  seaside  places;   nowhere   was   there  the 
least  shelter  from  the  intense  heat ;  but  the  Princess 
and  her  brother  and  cousins  thought  it  the  loveliest 
spot  on  earth,  for  it  was  the  only  seaside  place 
they  knew.     They  paddled  in  the  waves  and  dug 
sand  castles,  and,  after  great  discussions  and  con- 
sultations with  the  doctor,  were  at  last  allowed 
to  bathe,  which  filled  them  all  to  the  brim  with 
happiness. 

Five  minutes  was  the  absolute  limit  of  time 
allowed  for  us  to  disport  ourselves  in  the  water, 
and  the  lady-in-waiting  stood  watch  in  hand  on 
the  shore  and  called  "  Time's  up — come  out,"  at 
the  end  of  what  seemed  a  mere  flash  of  seconds. 

"  Why,  we  haven't  had  time  to  get  our  bathing- 
dresses  wet,"  the  Princess  would  remonstrate,  and 
then  would  commence  a  heated  argument  to  the 
effect  that  the  Countess  must  have  misread  the 
time.  This  lady,  in  a  position  somewhat  analogous 
to  that  of  an  unfortunate  hen  who  sees  her 
ducklings  in  the  water,  would  stand  on  the  shore 
gesticulating,  commanding,  imploring  with  ever- 
increasing  vehemence,  while  the  Princess,  secure 
in  her  impregnable  position,  and  fully  alive  to 
the  advantages  of  lengthened  discussion,  would 
duck  under  the  water  and  emerge  splutteringly  to 


232     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

shriek,  "  One  minute  more,  dear  Countess,  one 
minute  more :  I  know  your  watch  is  fast — you  said 
so  this  morning,"  and  she  would  plunge  under 
again,  while  the  outraged  Countess,  angered  by 
this  illogical  reasoning,  would  threaten  to  stop 
the  bathing  altogether ;  and  at  last,  by  the  most 
circuitous  route,  the  dripping  Princess  would 
emerge. 

This  scene  was  enacted  almost  daily,  even  when 
the  doctor  conceded  ten  minutes  in  the  ocean 
instead  of  five.  Often,  when  the  Princess  was 
enjoying  herself  exceedingly,  she  would  plunge 
under  as  soon  as  the  Countess  opened  her  mouth 
to  speak  and  make  a  tremendous  noise  and 
splashing.  Once  I  heard  her  shriek  "  Our  future 
lies  on  the  water,"  as  a  wave  swallowed  her  up 
and  nothing  but  a  row  of  pink  toes  remained 
visible. 

After  bathing  we  had  tea,  which  was  always 
brought  to  the  shore  in  stone  screw-topped  bottles 
and  drunk  out  of  silver  tumblers.  After  tea 
everybody  looked  for  Bernstein  or  amber — for  the 
coast  of  the  Baltic  is  the  only  place  in  Europe 
where  it  is  found,  and  Danzig  is  famous  as  a 
centre  for  very  beautiful  artistic  specimens  of 
cups  and  vases  ornamented  with  pieces  of  this 
stone. 

When  it  was  time  to  return  to  the  steamer  on 
the  far  side  of  the  sand-dunes,  a  long  row  of 
spectators,  many  of  them  with  cameras,  was 
always  waiting  to  see  us  embark ;  and  often  a 
somewhat  shy,  reluctant  child,  propelled  forward 
by  some  invisible  agency  in  the  rear,  would  present 
the  Princess  with  a  rose  or  a  bunch  of  flowers. 


CADINEN  233 

The  joy  with  which  all  the  children  met  Vigand 
and  the  other  members  of  the  crew  after  their 
short  separation  was  very  touching.  The  engine- 
man  exhibited  the  versatility  of  his  accomplish- 
ments, and  a  talent  for  domesticity,  by  drying 
all  the  soaked  garments,  especially  stockings,  of 
which  the  consumption  was  large,  in  the  mysterious 
region  down  below. 

Prince  Joachim's  steering  was  occasionally  some- 
what erratic,  but  improved  day  by  day,  until  he 
was  able  to  take  us  into  haven  and  bring  up 
alongside  the  pier  in  a  most  masterly  manner. 

When  the  Empress  and  the  two  older  princes 
arrived,  they  also  accompanied  us  to  Kahlberg,  and 
were  introduced  to  Vigand  and  the  rest  of  the  crew 
with  great  joy,  as  these  heroes  had  been  described 
in  detail  to  Her  Majesty  long  before  she  saw  them, 
and  their  manifold  virtues  and  talents  dinned 
incessantly  into  her  ears. 

The  Princess  became  at  this  time  frequently 
reminiscent  of  a  week  she  had  once  passed  on  her 
mother' s  yacht,  the  Iduna.  The  chief  personality  on 
board  appeared  to  be  the  English  cook,  who  hailed, 
I  believe,  from  Brighton,  and  always  addressed 
Her  Majesty  as  "  mum."  His  culinary  talents 
excited  the  rapture  of  the  Princess,  who  went  into 
ecstasies  over  his  porridge  and  curries  and  other 
toothsome  dishes.  One  of  his  brothers  was  steward 
on  board  and  waited  at  table,  and  had  the  peculi- 
arity of  invariably  stubbing  his  toe  against  the 
raised  threshold  of  the  dining  saloon  whenever 
he  came  in  or  out,  flying,  so  to  speak,  headlong  into 
the  saloon  or  alley-way.  But  the  cook's  talents 
were  so  pronounced  that  the  Empress  asked  him 


234     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

for  various  English  recipes,  which  I  was  called 
upon  to  translate  into  German — a  very  difficult 
task  for  any  one  unacquainted  with  the  technical 
terms  of  German  cookery. 

Sometimes  the  Princess  would  drive  in  her  pony- 
cart  along  the  road  in  the  direction  of  Frauenburg, 
famous  as  the  dwelling-place  of  Copernicus.  These 
drives  were  not  an  undiluted  joy  to  her,  for  the 
small  bare-legged  peasant  children  insisted  on  pre- 
senting flowers  all  along  the  route,  which  meant 
pulling  up  the  ponies  every  five  minutes  to  avoid 
driving  over  some  staggering  infant  of  tender 
years  who,  escorted  by  an  elder  sister,  clasping 
in  its  grubby  little  paw  some  herbage  torn  from 
the  nearest  hedge,  would  precipitate  itself  reck- 
lessly into  the  path  of  the  carriage.  The  flowers, 
generally  intermixed  with  bunches  of  over-ripe 
wild  strawberries,  had  all  to  be  taken  into  the 
carriage,  and  exuded  their  green  sap  and  berry- 
juice  liberally  on  to  the  cushions  and  the  dresses 
of  the  occupants. 

Frauenburg  was  a  quaint  old  town,  the  capital 
of  the  great  Prussian  diocese  of  Ermland,  formerly 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Teutonic  Knights, 
who  possessed  large  territories  in  that  neighbour- 
hood. In  1309  the  executive  officers  of  this  great 
order  of  fighting  monks  established  themselves 
in  the  castle  of  Marienburg,  a  few  miles  beyond 
Elbing,  which  the  Emperor  has  recently  restored 
to  its  old  glory,  having  entirely  rebuilt  it,  as  far 
as  possible  in  exact  accordance  with  the  former 
building,  which  had  almost  crumbled  to  decay. 

Cadinen   often   suffered   from   severe   thunder- 
storms, which  came   on   with   great   suddenness. 


CADINEN  285 

One  day,  when  for  some  reason  we  did  not  go  to 
Kahlberg,  the  children  and  their  teachers  went 
in  two  open  carriages  for  a  long  drive.  Prince 
Joachim,  who  was  an  ardent  whip,  drove  one  of 
them,  and  we  were  getting  along  very  merrily, 
several  miles  away  from  home,  when  suddenly 
heavy  drops  began  to  fall,  and  the  thunder 
rumbled  threateningly.  Fortunately  a  big  Garten- 
Restaurant  with  ample  stabling  accommodation 
was  close  at  hand,  so  we  immediately  drove  in  to 
the  yard,  and  the  carriages  and  horses  were  just 
put  under  shelter  as  the  rain  came  tumbling  down 
in  torrents.  We  all  sat  in  a  sort  of  covered  glass 
verandah  and  played  games  for  an  hour,  when, 
the  weather  having  cleared  up,  we  started  off 
again.  To  the  great  joy  of  the  children,  almost 
as  soon  as  the  horses'  heads  turned  homewards, 
two  closed  royal  carriages  were  perceived  hasten- 
ing in  our  direction,  obviously  bringing  succour 
for  half-drowned  persons,  for  they  were  piled  up 
inside  with  cloaks  and  rugs  of  every  description. 
The  consternation  written  legibly  on  the  faces  of 
the  coachmen  made  the  whole  crew  of  children 
burst  into  irrepressible  laughter,  it  pictured  so 
visibly  the  agitation  of  mind  into  which  the  whole 
Schloss  had  been  thrown. 

"  Yes,"  remarked  the  Princess  callously,  "  as 
soon  as  the  storm  came  on,  I  could  see  the 
Countess  wringing  her  hands  and  putting  us  to 
bed  and  the  doctor  coming  to  feel  our  pulses." 

Naturally  both  Countess  and  doctor  were 
much  relieved  that  their  precautions  had  been 
unnecessary,  and  we  were  praised  for  being  "  so 
sensible  "  as  to  take  refuge  in  the  restaurant ;  but 


236     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

it  was  a  very  lucky  chance  that  we  happened  to 
be  near  one,  as  in  that  lonely  region  they  were 
but  sparsely  distributed,  and  we  might  have  gone 
many  miles  before  rinding  another. 

The  Emperor,  among  other  properties  on  the 
estate,  became  owner  of  a  Zigelei  or  tile-factory,  of 
which  there  are  many  hundreds  along  this  coast, 
which  possesses  a  peculiar  variety  of  clay,  very 
suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  bricks  and  tiles. 
The  old  Cathedral  of  Frauenburg,  of  which  Coper- 
nicus, though  he  was  never  a  priest,  was  canon, 
is  built  entirely  of  brick,  for  there  is  no  stone  in 
the  neighbourhood.  The  Emperor's  factory  has 
in  the  last  few  years  begun  the  experimental 
manufacture  of  the  finer  kinds  of  porcelain,  and 
produces  year  by  year  many  artistic  objects  which 
are  sold  in  Berlin. 

During  the  many  wet  days  of  our  stay  in 
Cadinen,  the  children  found  great  occupation  in 
modelling  various  articles  out  of  the  prepared 
clay,  which  were  afterwards  sent  to  the  factory 
to  be  burned.  Some  little  fern-pots  and  vases, 
the  product  of  her  amateur  efforts,  were  regarded 
with  great  pride  by  the  Princess. 

The  Emperor  took  the  greatest  interest  in  his 
factory,  and  never  failed  to  visit  it  as  often  as 
he  could  do  so,  inspecting  and  criticizing  every 
department.  He  has  built  delightful  houses  and 
cottages  for  the  heads  of  departments  and  the 
workers.  Some  people  scoff  at  it  as  a  piece  of 
costly,  needless  extravagance,  and  object  to  the 
Emperor's  competition  with  other  factories.  It 
is  run  chiefly,  however,  as  a  practical  scientific 
experiment,   and  although  a  good  deal  of  cheap 


CADINEN  237 

pottery  is  made  and  sold  to  the  general  public 
at  current  market  prices,  it  aims  at  artistic  de- 
velopment as  well  as  the  invention  and  discovery 
of  colours  and  new  glazes.  From  his  travels  the 
Emperor  is  always  bringing  here  some  piece  of 
antique  porcelain,  Italian,  Greek  or  Roman,  which 
may  suggest  something  new  in  form  or  colouring. 
He  is  so  keen  himself  that  he  is  bound  to  inspire 
keenness  in  others. 

Once  or  twice  I  have  been  round  the  factory 
with  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  who  would  stay 
there  for  an  hour  or  two  sometimes  on  their  way 
to  or  from  Rominten.  His  Majesty  always  took 
the  whole  of  his  suite  with  him,  and  liked  them 
to  be  as  interested  as  himself.  On  one  occasion, 
from  the  heaped  shelves  of  the  warehouses  he 
hurled — there  is  no  other  word  which  quite 
expresses  it — terra-cotta  busts  of  himself  and  large 
vases  and  other  pottery  of  the  same  material  at 
the  members  of  the  suite.  My  share  of  the  spoil 
was  a  bust  of  himself  and  two  flower-vases.  We 
all  emerged  carrying  our  property,  and  the 
officers  in  uniform  looked  rather  comical  with 
large  terra-cotta  plaques  under  each  arm  or 
cradling  a  bust  carefully  against  the  shoulder. 

In  fine  weather  the  Princess  sometimes  rode  in 
the  forest,  but  during  the  second  and  third  year  of 
her  visit  to  Cadinen,  she  devoted  herself  entirely 
to  bathing  and  did  not  ride  as  well.  As,  however, 
there  were  twenty  riding-horses  available,  I  always 
got  up  at  half-past  five,  and  rode  alone  with  a 
Sattel-Meister  through  the  beautiful  forest,  which 
was  of  quite  a  different  nature  to  that  of  Potsdam. 
It  had  a  wild  delightful  freshness,  with  dimpling 


238    MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

brooks  appearing  out  of  the  greenery ;  great  rocks 
and  boulders  stood  at  the  turn  of  every  path,  with 
ferns  growing  from  their  crevices.  The  roads 
were  not  so  good  as  those  to  which  we  had  been 
accustomed,  as  they  were  full  of  tenacious  and 
slippery  beds  of  clay,  and  quite  dangerous  after 
rain,  as  were  the  fourteen  little  wooden  bridges 
which  crossed  the  wimpling  stream  which  mean- 
dered aimlessly  but  beautifully  through  the  trees. 
But  when  it  was  impossible  to  ride  in  the  forest, 
there  were  the  cornfields,  and  the  stubble-fields 
from  which  the  oats  had  been  cleared  were  mag- 
nificent for  a  good  stretching  gallop.  Those 
early  rides  lengthened  the  day  a  good  deal. 

At  five  o'clock  the  Lampier,  the  old  man  who 
trimmed  the  lamps  and  cleaned  the  shoes,  would 
knock  softly  at  my  door  according  to  orders.  I 
would  rouse  up  hastily  and  dress,  and  then  creep 
warily  past  the  rooms  where  every  one  slept,  and 
down  the  back  staircase  into  the  yard,  where,  in  the 
morning  sunshine,  the  wrinkled  old  Huhner-frau 
was  feeding  her  flock  of  ducks  and  chickens  ;  then, 
slipping  like  a  conspirator  through  the  wet  bushes 
into  the  stable-yard  round  the  corner,  I  would 
come  upon  the  smiling  Sattel-Meister  in  his  neat 
uniform,  standing  beside  two  horses  held  by 
stable-boys.  We  would  bow  to  each  other  in 
ceremonious  German  fashion,  mount,  and  away 
into  the  glory  of  the  dewy  morning ;  for  however 
wet  and  stormy  the  after  part  of  the  day  might 
be,  the  mornings  were  always  fair  and  smiling. 

Curtains  of  filmy  cobwebs,  threaded  with  bead- 
lets  of  dew,  spanned  every  twig,  while  gorgeous 
beds  of  lupines  ranging  from  white  through  pale 


CADINEN  239 

and  deep  heliotrope  to  dark  purple,  great  up- 
standing masses  of  campanulas,  tall  yellow  fox- 
gloves, and  other  flowers  unknown  to  me  bordered 
the  field  paths  through  which  we  rode.  The 
shimmering  yellow  of  the  bearded  rye,  the  darker 
reddish-brown  of  the  wheat,  rippled  like  a  sea  by 
the  breath  of  morning,  the  vivid  emerald  of  the 
potato  fields,  the  glorious  chrome  and  sulphur  of 
the  yellow  lupines  grown  as  cattle  fodder,  mingled 
with  the  subtle  green  of  the  forest  trees,  and 
the  long-drawn-out  blue  thread  of  the  distant 
Baltic,  all  dappled  and  gleaming  in  the  dawn, 
blended  together  in  a  riot  of  luminous  colour. 

The  peasant  women  working  in  bands  of  twenty 
or  thirty  among  the  potatoes  would  lift  up  their 
friendly  brown  faces,  and  wave  a  hand  and  smile 
as  we  galloped  past.  Occasionally  we  came 
unexpectedly  on  one  of  them  kneeling  before  a 
tiny  wooden  shrine  almost  hidden  in  the  standing 
corn. 

The  last  Sunday  of  our  stay  in  Cadinen  was 
always  devoted  to  the  Kinder-Fest,  or  treat  for 
the  school-children,  given  by  the  Empress. 

The  youth  of  the  village  was  scrubbed  and 
washed  and  starched  and  ironed  to  a  pitch  of 
painful  perfection,  but  none  of  the  children  wore 
anything  in  the  shape  of  finery,  and  nobody 
thought  of  curling  or  waving  their  abundant  locks 
for  the  occasion.  The  girls'  tight  pigtails  were 
tied,  if  anything,  a  trifle  tighter,  while  the  boys' 
heads  were  cropped  almost  to  the  bone.  The 
most  conspicuous  change  in  their  attire  was  the 
presence  of  shoes  and  stockings,  which  obviously 
severely    handicapped    their    activities.     All    the 


240     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

light-footed  boys  and  girls,  who  usually  skipped 
untrammelled  down  the  grassy  lanes,  became  slow- 
footed,  slouching,  awkward  louts,  moving  with 
a  stiff  propriety  which  was  as  much  the  effect  of 
footgear  as  of  respect  for  royalty. 

The  festivities  began  by  coffee  and  cake  at 
three  o'clock,  for  tea  is  unknown  in  that  district. 
The  cake  was  a  kind  of  bread  with  currants 
stuck  in  it  at  long  intervals,  and  the  coffee,  which 
we  will  hope  was  not  as  strong  as  it  looked,  was 
imbibed  by  infants  of  the  tenderest  age,  babes  in 
arms  sipping  it  eagerly  from  their  mothers'  cups 
apparently  without  any  evil  effects. 

The  Empress  and  the  Princes  and  Princess 
waited  on  the  small  sunburnt  guests,  and  saw 
that  they  were  well  supplied,  and  after  tea  was 
finished  games  were  played. 

"  The  very  stupidest  games  I  ever  saw,"  said  the 
Princess,  who  preferred  something  more  exciting 
than  "  Here  we  go  round  the  Mulberry-Bush," 
or  its  German  equivalent.  So  she  immediately 
organised  sack-races  among  the  boys,  helping 
to  tuck  the  small  urchins  into  their  sacks,  and 
instructing  them  how  to  hop  along,  cheering  on 
the  blacksmith's  son,  whom  she  obviously  desired 
to  see  the  winner. 

All  the  mothers,  most  of  whom  appeared  to  be 
employed  at  the  Schloss  as  housemaids,  clustered 
round  in  their  clean  print  dresses,  watching  the 
sports  with  the  deepest  interest ;  while  the  green- 
clad  foresters,  the  Inspektor  and  his  family,  the 
fishermen  from  the  Haff,  also  stood  in  a  respectful 
semicircle,  gravely  and  seriously  absorbed  in  the 
sack-races. 


CADINEN  241 

At  half-past  six  the  Fest  was  finished,  and 
everybody  dispersed  homewards ;  but  at  the 
Schloss  the  children  often  continued  the  Fest  on 
their  own  account.  On  one  occasion,  after  supper, 
Prince  Joachim  having  by  some  mysterious  means 
discovered  that  one  of  the  footmen  as  well  as  a 
cook  were  performers  on  the  harmonica,  a  sort  of 
improved  accordion,  proposed  that  they  should 
be  sent  for  and  an  impromptu  dance  held  on 
the  lawn. 

The  cook  arrived  first  in  his  white  cap  and 
apron,  looking  rather  embarrassed  at  being  called 
upon  to  perform  before  royalty.  He  made  a 
deep  bow  to  Her  Majesty,  and  was  then  con- 
ducted by  the  young  Princes  to  the  garden  seat 
and  requested  to  begin  at  once,  so  he  flung  himself 
with  the  ardour  of  a  true  musician  into  a  waltz, 
and  they  all  skipped  merrily  round  upon  the  grass. 
Presently  a  rather  fat  red-faced  footman  arrived 
with  a  second  harmonica,  bowed,  and  took  his 
place  beside  the  cook,  and  the  two  went  hard  at 
it,  the  cook  playing  the  air  while  the  footman 
made  the  accompanying  harmonies.  Occasional 
discords  arose,  whereupon  they  regarded  each 
other  sternly,  each  tacitly  accusing  the  other; 
but  it  never  disturbed  the  rhythm,  and  the  dancers 
hopped  energetically  round  in  spite  of  the  heat 
and  their  hard  day's  work. 

The  cook,  possessing  an  artistic  soul,  always 
waved  his  head  in  time  to  the  music,  gazing 
upwards  to  the  stars  ;  but  the  fat  footman,  being 
a  man  of  another  temperament,  sat  stolidly, 
moving  nothing  but  his  ringers. 

Bed-time    for    the    children    was    long    passed 

16 


242     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

when  the  musicians  were  reluctantly  dismissed 
with  the  warm  thanks  of  the  Empress,  and  cook 
and  footman  retired  in  a  series  of  graceful  bows 
to  their  respective  spheres. 

The  last  day  at  Cadinen  comes.  The  luggage 
has  been  packed  and  carried  downstairs  and  loaded 
into  carts  by  a  quarter-section  of  soldiers  sent 
over  from  Elbing  for  the  purpose.  The  brown- 
faced  youths  penetrate  every  room,  grinning 
amiably,  and  shoulder  everything  they  can  find, 
while  harassed  footmen  rush  about  with  lists  in 
their  hands,  which  they  consult  hurriedly. 

The  train  is  waiting,  the  Land-Rat  is  waiting, 
the  Inspektor,  the  Zigelei-Direktor.  In  the  dusk, 
as  we  drive  down  to  the  station,  beyond  which 
glimmers  the  long  line  of  the  Haff,  we  pass  rows 
of  workpeople,  who  timidly  wave  hats  and  aprons 
as  Her  Majesty  goes  by. 

We  are  quickly  in  the  train,  and  stand  at  the 
windows,  waving  our  hands  vigorously  as  it 
moves  off.  The  fields  fade  away  into  the  distance, 
the  blue  cornflowers  on  the  edge  of  the  railway 
banks  nod  farewell,  a  solitary  stork  can  be  seen 
wending  his  way  homewards  on  wide-sweeping 
wings.  The  darkness  falls  and  blots  it  out. 
When  the  dawn  comes  we  are  nearing  Potsdam 
once  more,  and  on  the  whole  rather  glad  to  be 
back  again,  for,  as  the  Princess  says,  "  Cadinen' s 
very  nice,  but  '  there's  no  place  like  Home,'  is 
there  ?  " 


CHAPTER    XIII 

ROMINTEN 

ROMINTEN,  the  Emperor's  favourite  shoot- 
ing domain,  lies  far  away  in  East  Prussia, 
on  the  very  frontier  of  the  Russian  Empire. 
For  the  first  few  years  of  my  life  in  Germany  it 
existed  merely  as  a  name. 

Every  autumn  towards  the  end  of  November 
came  to  the  New  Palace  great  loads  of  antlers 
labelled  "  Rominter  Heide,"  magnificent  out- 
spreading trophies  of  His  Majesty's  gun. 

Then  one  day  the  Princess  announced,  to  the 
consternation  of  her  governesses,  aghast  at  the 
possibility  of  further  interruptions  to  her  educa- 
tion, that  "Papa"  was  building  a  new  wing  to 
the  Jagdhaus,  so  that  "  Mamma  "  and  she  herself 
might  join  him  there. 

"  Won't  it  be  lovely  ?  "  she  said  with  sparkling 
eyes,  and  danced  about  the  room  in  a  manner 
expressive  of  the  deepest  delight. 

"  When  you  are  grown  up  and  done  with  lessons, 
Princess,"  suggested  the  Ober-Gouvernante. 

"  Not  a  bit  when  I  am  grown  up,  but  now  this 
very  autumn.  Papa  says  so ;  the  house  is  getting 
on  splendidly.     It  will  all  be  ready  by  September." 

If  "Papa"  said  a  thing  would  happen,  it 
naturally  did,  let  who  might  disapprove  ;  so  that 
a  few  weeks  later  the  Princess  in  her  brand-new 

243 


244     MEMORIES    OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

hunting-dress,  accompanied  by  a  blackboard,  a 
desk,  a  large  chest  of  school-books,  a  tutor  and 
mys§lf,  went  off  in  the  highest  spirits  to  join 
Their  Majesties'  special  train  at  Berlin. 

The  Emperor  and  Empress  were  already  in  the 
train  when  their  daughter  arrived,  and  there  was 
a  very  large  suite  with  them,  including  Prince 
Philip  Eulenburg,  who  a  year  or  two  later  fell 
into  disgrace,  and  from  being  the  most  trusted, 
most  sought-after  of  all  the  Emperor's  friends, 
was  banished  entirely  from  Court  and  seen  no 
more. 

The  Empress  was  attended  by  one  only  of  her 
ladies — the  youngest  of  the  four  resident  Hof- 
Damen,  who  would  be  on  duty  the  whole  time ; 
but  as  in  Rominten  there  are  no  ceremonious 
occasions  and  no  constant  changes  of  costume — 
one  of  the  chief  burdens  of  Court  life — the  duties 
of  the  lady-  and  gentleman- in- waiting  are  com- 
paratively light. 

We  had  a  very  merry  supper  in  the  train,  the 
Emperor  being  in  an  extremely  happy,  not  to 
say  hilarious  mood,  his  face  constantly  crinkled 
with  laughter.  He  told  one  small  anecdote  after 
another,  some  of  them  almost  childish,  but  irre- 
sistibly comic  when  accompanied  by  his  in- 
fectious laugh.  One  was  of  a  child  at  a  Volks- 
Schule  who  wrote  an  essay  on  the  Lion  as  follows : 
"  The  Lion  is  a  fearful  beast  with  four  legs  and  a 
tail.  He  has  a  still  more  terrible  wife  called  the 
Tiger." 

The  royal  hunt  uniform,  which  is  only  worn 
by  those  in  the  royal  service  or  by  those  to  whom 
the  Emperor  grants  permission,  is  extremely  pic- 


ROMINTEN  245 

turesque,  being  of  a  soft  olive-green,  with  high 
tanned-leather  boots  and  a  belt  round  the  waist 
from  which  is  suspended  the  Hirsch-fdnger  or 
short  hunting-knife.  In  the  soft  green  hat,  turned 
up  at  both  sides,  is  generally  fastened  either 
the  tail-feathers  of  the  capercailzie,  or  the  beard 
of  a  gemsbock,  which  sticks  up  like  a  shaving- 
brush  at  the  back. 

At  supper  everybody  was  wearing  ordinary 
costume,  but  they  all  assembled  at  breakfast  next 
morning  after  their  night  in  the  train  in  complete 
hunting-dress,  even  to  the  footmen  who  waited 
at  table.  Although  I  possessed  no  uniform, 
unwilling  to  be  a  jarring  note  in  the  hunting- 
harmony,  I  had  provided  myself  with  a  suitable 
green  Sports-Kostiim,  while  the  Princess  had  a 
regulation  green  Letevka  (Norfolk  jacket)  and 
hunting-knife  all  complete. 

The  train  passed  through  the  station  of  Cadinen, 
but  it  was  a  further  journey  of  eight  hours  to  reach 
Gross-Rominten,  distant  some  seven  or  eight 
miles  from  the  hunting-lodge  itself. 

The  usual  rows  of  flower-crowned  school- 
children lined  the  path  and  threw  flowers  into 
the  carriages  and  automobiles.  All  the  popula- 
tion of  the  country-side  had,  of  course,  turned 
out  to  see  Their  Majesties,  and  through  a  flutter 
of  handkerchiefs  and  waving  of  hats  the  pro- 
cession of  carriages  passed,  presently  entering  the 
great  90,000-acre  forest. 

Formerly  the  village  where  the  Emperor  has 
built  himself  a  house  was  called  Teer-bude,  which 
might  be  translated  Tarbooth.  It  was  a  poor 
place,   inhabited  by   people   who   made   a   spare 


246     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

living  by  distilling  tar  from  the  pine-trees;  and 
although  the  forest  belonged  to  the  Crown  it  had 
not  been  properly  developed  and  was  in  a  some- 
what neglected  condition. 

A  little  stream  called  the  Rominte  ran  through 
the  district,  so  the  Emperor  changed  the  name 
of  the  place  to  Rominten,  and  with  characteristic 
energy  and  determination  set  himself  to  build 
and  improve. 

His  frequent  visits  to  Norway  had  given  him  a 
love  for  the  houses  there,  built  of  pine  logs  ;  and 
having  all  the  necessary  material  at  hand,  he 
determined  to  build  in  the  Norwegian  style  of 
architecture. 

The  road  to  this  Jagd-Schloss  lay  through  long 
vistas  of  pines,  which  grow  here  to  an  enormous 
height — though  a  few  years  ago  the  devastations 
of  a  caterpillar  called  die  Nonne  (the  Nun)  had 
destroyed  a  great  many  of  the  trees  and  made 
fearful  havoc.  The  road  wound  past  places 
where  whole  plantations  had  perished  and  all 
the  young  trees  were  "  in  mourning" — that  is  to 
say,  they  each  had  bands  of  tar-smeared  paper 
round  their  trunks  to  prevent  the  inroads  of  the 
insidious  enemy.  The  Emperor  tried  to  persuade 
one  lady  that  these  black  bands  had  been  put  on 
the  trees  because  an  Ober-Forster  was  dead ;  but 
being  of  a  sceptical  turn  of  mind,  and  knowing  a 
little  about  forestry,  she  accepted  the  Imperial 
explanation   with   some   reserve. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  village  of  Rominten 
itself,  young  pine  trees  cut  from  the  woods  had 
been  set  at  intervals  along  the  road  and  triumphal 
garlands    of    pine-branches    stretched    across    it. 


ROMINTEN  247 

Before  the  entrance  to  the  Schloss  were  ranged 
lines  of  sturdy  woodmen  and  foresters  in  their 
smart  uniforms  of  soft  olive -green,  holding 
torches  in  their  hands,  for  the  night  falls  early 
in  this  region  and  the  immense  trees  growing 
so  close  to  the  house  intercept  a  good  deal  of 
light.  In  the  inner  gravelled  space  between  the 
two  parts  into  which  the  Schloss  is  divided  were 
waiting  the  head-foresters,  gentlemen  of  education 
and  culture,  who  are  trained  for  some  years  in 
the  excellent  schools  of  forestry  which  are  to  be 
found  in  Germany. 

Baron  Speck  von  Sternburg,  whose  brother 
was  at  that  time  German  Ambassador  in  Wash- 
ington, was  also  there  to  meet  Their  Majesties.  He 
is  the  Head  Administrator  of  the  whole  forest,  lives 
and  moves  among  it  from  year  to  year,  and 
knows  every  stag  almost  that  roams  its  immense 
solitudes.  He  is  responsible  for  the  Emperor's 
sport,  makes  all  preliminary  arrangements,  knows 
by  heart  the  habits,  almost  the  thoughts  of  the 
deer,  and  can  tell  at  what  particular  moment  they 
will  come  out  to  browse  on  the  open  meadows 
that  are  to  be  found  dotted  about  like  small 
green  islands  in  the  vast  ocean  of  trees. 

All  the  head  foresters'  houses  are  in  telephonic 
communication  with  the  Schloss  itself,  so  that 
they  can  send  word  at  once  of  any  animal  paying 
an  unexpected  visit,  as  sometimes  wolves  and  elk 
have  been  known  to  wander  over  the  Russian 
frontier  close  by. 

The  Emperor,  almost  before  he  has  well  de- 
scended from  his  carriage,  plunges  at  once  into 
hunting-talk    with    Herr    von    Sternburg,    while 


248    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

the  Empress  and  the  Princess,  after  greetings 
and  introductions,  enter  the  house  to  explore 
their  new  habitation.  The  Schloss  is  really  two 
houses,  built  entirely  of  pine  logs,  connected  by 
an  overhead  gallery  supported  on  massive  pine 
stems  as  thick  as  the  masts  of  a  ship.  In  every 
room  the  walls  consist  of  the  bare  logs,  which 
have  been  trimmed  into  a  slightly  oval  form  and 
then  laid  one  on  the  top  of  the  other,  the  whole 
being  smoothly  varnished.  Tables  and  chairs  are 
made  of  the  same  wood,  and  the  green  carpets 
of  a  moss-like  pattern  carry  on  the  woodland 
suggestion. 

The  roof  is  deep  and  low,  and  the  upper  story 
has  a  gallery  running  its  length,  which  over- 
shadows the  windows  of  the  lower  rooms,  making 
them  rather  dark.  The  fireplaces  and  chimneys 
are  made  of  unglazed  red  brick,  and  the  fire  of 
logs  is  built  on  a  wide  flat  hearth,  raised  a  little 
above  the  floor  level.  They  too  are,  of  course, 
also  Norwegian  in  character,  running  up  in  a 
Gothic  pinnacled  form.  All  is  very  simple  and 
solidly,  almost  ruggedly,  built.  The  log  walls 
have  one  drawback.  Smells  and  sounds  pene- 
trate their  crevices  very  easily.  If  the  footman 
in  the  basement  indulges  in  a  cigar,  the  Empress 
in  her  sitting-room  upstairs  is  instantly  aware 
of  it. 

The  dining-room,  which  is  in  the  part  of  the  house 
occupied  by  the  Emperor,  is  a  fine  building  with 
a  high-pitched  roof  of  massive  beams,  from  which 
hang  many  splendid  trophies  of  the  chase,  fallen 
to  His  Majesty's  gun.  There  is  a  long  wide 
window  to   the  left,  two  large  brick  fireplaces  at 


ROMINTEN  249 

the  end,  a  sideboard  with  a  buttery-hatch  into 
the  kitchen,  and  wooden  chairs  surrounding  the 
massive  table  which  are  quite  penitential  in  their 
hardness;  yet,  since  Majesty  sits  on  them  without 
any  ameliorating  interposition  of  cushions,  no 
one  dare  complain.  In  a  few  days'  time  they 
become  more  endurable. 

The  Emperor  once  overheard  some  comment 
of  mine  relative  to  their  unyieldingness. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  the  chairs  ? "  he  says 
sharply,  bulging  his  eyes  at  me  in  the  usual 
Imperial  manner.     "  Don't  you  like  them  ?  " 

"  Yes,  your  Majesty,"  I  reply  meekly,  "  I  think 
they  are  beautiful  chairs,  but  somewhat — er — 
harsh — on    first    acquaintance." 

"  Harsh  !  "  he  laughs  derisively — "  I  hope  they 
are.  Time  you  came  here  and  learned  to  do 
without  cushions.  Here  we  live  hardily."  He 
laughs  like  a  delighted  schoolboy,  and  asks  every 
day  afterwards  if  the  chairs  are  getting  a  little 
softer. 

Certain  friends  of  His  Majesty  came  every  year 
with  him  to  Rominten.  First  and  foremost  among  4 
them  all  was  that  Prince  Philip  Eulenburg  before 
mentioned,  a  pale,  grey-haired,  somewhat  weary- 
looking  man  with  a  pallid,  fleeting  smile,  something 
of  a  visionary,  with  a  nature  attracted  to  music 
and  art,  as  well  as  towards  all  that  is  strange  or 
abnormal  in  life.  He  was  a  born  raconteur,  like  the 
Emperor,  but  told  his  tales  in  a  quiet,  soft,  subtle 
voice,  with  a  grave  face  and  a  certain  fascinating 
charm  of  manner.  One  could  easily  understand 
how  the  robust  personality  of  the  Emperor,  so  4- 
frank,  so  generous,  so  open-hearted,  was  attracted 


250      MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

to  the  somewhat  reserved,  mysterious,  gentle 
nature  of  this  brilliant  man,  who  yearly  enter- 
tained His  Majesty  at  his  own  home,  Schloss 
Liebenberg,  and  was  the  repository  of  his  thoughts 
and  aspirations. 

He,  however,  disappeared.  Rominten  knew 
him  no  more.  Yet  probably  no  one  was  more 
missed  than  he  whose  name  was  never  afterwards 
mentioned  there.  I  can  still  see  his  pale  face 
emerge  from  behind  the  red  curtains  of  the  gallery 
when  he  came  to  the  tea-table  of  the  Empress 
and  sat  down  to  entertain  us  with  his  store  of 
literary  and  artistic  reminiscences.  vHe  had  the 
look  (even  then] of  an  ill  man,  whose  nerves  are 
not  in  the  best  condition,  who  is  pursued  by  some 
haunting  spectre,  some  fear  from  which  he  cannot 
escape. 

Another  man  of  a  different  type  who  came 
yearly  was  Prince  Dohna  of  Schlobitten,  a  tall 
elderly  gentleman  who  was  a  mighty  hunter, 
and  knew  all  about  deer  and  their  habits.  We 
ladies  were  much  indebted  to  him  for  instruc- 
tion in  the  proper  terms  of  venery  -for,  as  the 
Princess  forcibly  impressed  on  us,  it  was  quite 
impossible  when  at  Rominten  to  speak  of  any 
part  of  an  animal  by  its  usual  name,  every- 
thing having  a  special  and  peculiar  designation. 
"  Nose,  eyes,  ears  and  tail "  were  shocking  to 
the  ear,  and  no  longer  to  be  tolerated,  suffering 
a  change  into  something  technical  and  sporting. 
The  "  ears  "  of  the  hare,  for  example,  had  to  be 
called  its  "  spoons,"  and  the  feet  of  the  deer 
became  "runners" — I  think — but  it  may  have 
been  something  else. 


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ROMINTEN  251 

One  notable  visitor  came  once  to  Rominten  for 
a  short  stay  of  an  hour  or  two  on  his  way  back 
to  Russia  from  America — a  rather  stern,  silent, 
harassed-looking  man  with  peasant-features,  who 
moved  wearily  and  with  an  air  of  abstraction 
beside  the  Emperor  as  they  walked  up  and  down 
on  the  gravelled  space  before  the  Jagd-Haus. 
It  was  Herr  Witte,  the  Russian  statesman,  soon 
to  become  Count  Witte,  on  his  way  home  after 
negotiating  terms  of  peace  between  his  country 
and  Japan.  At  table  he  sat  eating  soup  somewhat 
nervously,  with  the  air  of  a  man  in  a  dream, 
listening  politely  to  the  Emperor's  talk,  replying 
in  monosyllables,  but  conversing  with  no  one 
else.     He  was  obviously  tired  and  apprehensive. 

Soon  after  dinner  we  saw  his  carriage  departing 
for  the  station.  He  would  be  in  Russia  before 
nightfall. 

Every  morning  in  the  early  darkness  somewhere 
between  five  and  six,  or  it  may  have  been  even 
earlier,  the  panting  of  a  motor-car  could  be 
heard  outside,  and  presently  it  departed,  bearing 
away  the  Emperor  and  his  loader  to  some  remote 
corner  of  the  forest  where  a  lordly  stag  had  been 
marked  as  coming  in  the  early  mornings  to 
browse. 

At  eight  the  Princess  and  I  breakfasted  alone  in 
the  little  corridor  outside  Her  Majesty's  sitting- 
room  upstairs.  Often  we  made  for  ourselves 
beautiful  buttered  toast  at  the  big  fire  which 
blazed  on  the  hearth ;  and  once  the  Princess, 
who  always  had  a  fine  feminine  instinct  for  that 
sort  of  thing,  took  a  large  succulent  plateful  of 
this    delicacy   downstairs   to    His   Majesty,    who 


252    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

happened  for  a  wonder  to  be  at  home  for  breakfast 
at  the  appointed  hour.  This  was  a  thing  which 
very  seldom  happened — for,  as  a  rule,  we  from  our 
window  could  see  the  hungry  courtiers  waiting 
about  the  courtyard  for  the  Emperor's  return, 
which  was  naturally  apt  to  be  rather  uncertain  as 
to  time,  sometimes  being  postponed  till  eleven. 

Rominten  was  the  only  place  where  Their 
Majesties  breakfasted  with  the  suite.  Usually  it 
was  a  meal  taken  strictly  en  famille  and  at  a  very 
rapid  pace. 

The  Emperor  appreciated  the  Princess's  buttered 
toast  so  much  that  the  Empress  directed  that 
some  should  be  sent  up  every  morning.  Now 
buttered  toast  is  quite  unknown  in  the  Father- 
land excepting  perhaps  in  large  and  fashionable 
hotels  where  international  customs  prevail.  Rather 
leathery  dry  toast  is  served  at  tea;  but  when 
the  royal  command  for  buttered  toast  reached 
the  kitchen  through  the  medium  of  the  footman 
it  created  nothing  short  of  consternation.  A 
flurried  lackey  came  hastening  up  to  me  begging 
for  some  slight  hints  as  to  how  it  should  be  made. 
I  foresaw  that  any  instructions  I  might  give 
when  they  reached  the  cook  distilled  through 
the  footman's  mind  would  be  vague  and  unsatis- 
factory. Nevertheless  I  did  my  best ;  but  the 
Empress  told  me  afterwards  that  the  toast  was 
quite  uneatable — a  result  which  rather  gratified  the 
Princess,  who  liked  to  believe  that  she  was  the 
only  person  capable  of  making  toast  for  "  Papa." 

The  lessons  with  the  tutor  lasted  from  half-past 
eight  until  twelve  o'clock,  when  a  short  walk 
with  the  Empress  was  taken,  weather  permitting. 


ROMINTEN  253 

After  luncheon,  if  the  stag  or  stags  slain  by  the 
Emperor  had  arrived,  we  all  assembled  under 
the  dining-room  window  for  the  ceremony  of 
"  the  Strecke."  The  stags  were  laid  on  the  small 
lawn  beneath  the  windows,  and  three  of  the 
Jagers  of  His  Majesty  blew  on  hunting-horns  the 
old  hunting-call  of  the  "  Ha-la-li,"  denoting  to 
all  who  hear  the  success  of  the  sportsman. 

Somewhere  between  three  and  four  the  Em- 
peror in  his  hunting  cart  would  start  off  again 
to  shoot,  the  Empress  and  suite  waiting  for  his 
departure  and  shouting  "  Waidmann's  Heil"  as  he 
drove  away.  Then  Her  Majesty,  with  the  Princess 
and  the  rest  of  us,  would  also  climb  into  other 
yellow-varnished  hunting-carts  and  drive  in 
another  direction,  to  try  and  get  a  glimpse  of 
the  stags  browsing.  Our  conversation  had  to  be 
rather  suppressed,  for  fear  of  alarming  the  deer 
in  their  "  sylvan  solitudes,"  and  we  usually 
descended  from  the  carts  to  walk  to  one  of  the 
numerous  "  pulpits  "  as  they  were  called — small 
raised  platforms  screened  by  a  frame  of  pine 
twigs,  from  which  the  Emperor  sometimes  shot — 
although,  as  a  rule,  they  were  used  for  purposes 
of  observation  only,  and  the  shooting  was  done 
from  behind  another  screen  down  below. 

It  was  always  a  little  tantalizing  going  to  see 
the  deer  feed,  because  very  often  they  didn't 
appear.  The  stairs  up  to  the  pulpits  creaked 
and  groaned  as  any  one  rather  weighty  went  up 
them,  and  the  rest  regarded  the  guilty  one  with 
annoyed  looks  and  said  "S'sh";  but  the  more 
silent  and  stealthy  we  were  the  less  the  stags 
showed    themselves.     When    they    did,    stepping 


254    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

out  proudly  from  the  dark  shadows  of  the  trees,  it 
was  a  very  fine  sight.  The  deer  on  the  Rominter 
Heide  are  remarkable  for  their  splendid  antlers, 
and  there  are  few  things  more  gracefully  beautiful 
than  the  manner  in  which  a  stag  carries  his 
splendid  wide-spreading  ornaments,  especially  when 
running  with  the  speed  of  the  wind  among  the 
forest  trees. 

Baron  Speck  von  Sternburg  lived  in  a  large 
house  in  a  corner  of  the  forest  where  it  opened 
out  into  a  meadow  near  a  village  called  Sittkeh- 
men.  He  had  three  or  four  children,  and  his 
charming  wife,  herself  the  daughter  of  an  officer 
of  the  Forest  Department,  was  quite  as  keen, 
and  possessed  nearly  as  much  knowledge  of  wood- 
craft as  her  husband. 

Once  when  the  Empress  had  been  with  the 
Princess  into  the  village  visiting  some  of  the 
cottages,  as  we  came  back  to  the  Schloss,  hurrying 
a  little  for  fear  of  being  late  for  our  one-o'clock 
dinner,  we  were  met  in  the  drive  by  an  excited  foot- 
man, who  said  that  an  Elch — which  I  took  to  mean 
a  moose  or  elk — had  been  seen  by  the  Baroness 
in  the  forest,  that  the  Kaiser  had  ordered  out 
all  the  automobiles  and  carriages,  and  that  every 
available  person  was  to  serve  as  beater,  Her 
Majesty  and  the  Princess  and  the  ladies  being 
specially  invited  in  that  capacity. 

Everybody  flew  in  and  out  of  the  Schloss  fetch- 
ing walking-sticks  and  cloaks,  and  in  a  few  seconds 
the  first  automobile,  containing  the  Emperor 
and  Empress,  the  Princess  and  the  two  ladies, 
the  Emperor's  loader  with  the  heavy  sporting 
rifles  being  outside   with  the  chauffeur,   started 


ROMINTEN  255 

off  in  pursuit  of  this  animal,  which,  not  having  a 
proper  sense  of  political  boundaries,  had  wandered 
over  from  Russia  in  the  night.  We  only  hoped 
it  had  not  wandered  back  again,  but  I  had  a 
sneaking  sort  of  feeling  down  in  my  heart  that  I 
should  be  almost  glad  if  it  had  done  so. 

The  car  flew  along,  the  Emperor  talking  volubly 
about  the  Elch  and  its  habits  and  his  hopes  of 
slaying  the  confiding  creature;  and  at  last  we 
were  deposited  about  eight  miles  from  home  on  a 
rather  squelchy,  marshy  piece  of  ground,  where 
we  were  met  by  Baron  von  Sternburg  and  com- 
manded to  follow  him  in  perfect  silence,  the 
Emperor  meantime  going  on  in  the  car  in  a 
different  direction.  After  a  long  damp  walk  we 
were  all  posted  at  intervals  of  about  a  hundred 
yards  along  a  thick  alley  of  pines,  with  whispered 
instructions  to  stay  where  we  were  and  prevent 
the  quarry  from  breaking  through,  although  we 
all  had  grave  doubts  as  to  our  ability  to  prevent 
any  animal  as  large  as  a  moose  from  doing  any- 
thing it  felt  inclined.  I  went  up  to  the  gentleman 
on  my  left  and  whisperingly  asked  what  methods 
I  must  employ  supposing  the  mighty  beast  sud- 
denly appeared  in  front  of  me,  and  he  indicated 
a  feeble  waggling  of  the  hands  as  being  likely  to 
turn  it  back  in  the  direction  of  the  Emperor's 
rifle. 

I  cannot  say  if  we  should  have  been  able  to 
intimidate  the  moose  by  means  of  this  manoeuvre 
if  it  had  really  appeared ;  at  any  rate  we  were  not 
put  to  the  test,  for  after  having  waited  for  an 
hour  or  two,  growing  minute  by  minute  more 
ravenously  hungry,   while  the  water  penetrated 


256    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

into  our  boot-soles,  it  became  evident  that  the 
sagacious  animal  must  have  returned  to  his  native 
wilds,  and  we  returned  sadly  to  our  long-delayed, 
somewhat  over-cooked  dinner,  where  we  found 
the  unfortunate  tutor  of  the  Princess,  who  had  been 
waiting  for  his  food  without  any  of  the  alleviating 
excitement  of  the  chase  from  one  o'clock  until 
three,  which  was  the  hour  when  we  at  last  sat 
down  to  our  long-delayed  meal. 

Once  on  our  way  from  Rominten  back  to  Berlin 
we  had  a  rather  disagreeable  adventure  in  Konigs- 
berg,  where  the  Emperor  stayed  for  a  few  hours 
for  the  purpose  of  dining  at  the  officers'  mess  of 
one  of  the  Grenadier  regiments  stationed  there. 

We  had  started  from  Rominten  very  early  in 
the  morning,  and  the  Princess,  rather  unluckily  as 
it  turned  out,  was  still  wearing  her  green  hunting 
uniform,  although  the  rest  of  the  party  had 
reverted  to  the  usual  less  conspicuous  costume  of 
ordinary  wear.  The  Emperor  and  his  suite  were 
to  stop  at  Konigsberg,  while  the  Empress  and 
her  daughter,  with  the  ladies,  Prince  Eulenburg 
and  the  gentleman-in-waiting,  Count  Carmer, 
after  a  short  wait  of  half  an  hour  to  let  the  express 
pass  before  us  to  Berlin,  would  proceed  onwards 
to  Cadinen,  there  to  await  the  arrival  of  His 
Majesty  towards  evening. 

We  had  all  descended  on  to  the  red-carpeted  plat- 
form to  witness  the  reception  of  the  Emperor,  and 
had  seen  him  drive  away  amidst  the  cheers  of  an 
immense  crowd  waiting  outside  the  station,  when, 
to  our  surprise,  the  Princess  begged  her  mother 
to  fill  up  the  intervening  twenty  minutes  left  to 
us  by  "a   short   walk,"   as   she   was  very   tired 


ROMINTEN  257 

of  being  in  the  train.  Her  Majesty  too  appeared 
to  think  that  it  would  make  an  agreeable  diversion, 
and  though  somebody  suggested  the  difficulty 
of  moving  about  in  such  a  crowd  as  would  pro- 
bably be  gathered  together,  yet,  the  Princess 
being  very  urgent,  the  expedition  was  undertaken. 

We  moved  across  the  space  in  front  of  the 
station,  which  had  been  kept  clear  by  the  police, 
in  full  view  of  the  enormous  mass  of  people 
gathered  there,  the  young  Princess  in  her  green 
uniform  being  a  very  conspicuous  object.  A 
pleasant  elderly  officer  was  to  escort  us  on  what 
the  Empress  called  our  "  little  stroll  through  the 
town,"  though  that  was  hardly  perhaps  the 
appropriate  expression. 

Full  of  apprehension,  which  was  amply  justified 
by  our  subsequent  adventures,  we  walked  over 
the  empty  space,  the  Empress  chatting  to  the 
officer,  while  the  rest  of  us  looked  at  each  other, 
trying  to  think  that  what  v/e  foresaw  must  happen 
would  perhaps  not  be  so  inevitable  after  all.  The 
people  began  to  cheer  wildly  as  soon  as  they 
realized  that  the  Empress  was  before  them,  for 
her  name  naturally  had  not  been  included  in  the 
programme  of  the  day's  ceremonies ;  and  as  soon 
as  we  emerged  from  the  emptiness  into  the  crowd 
itself,  we  all  realized  at  once  the  imprudence  of 
the  step  taken,  and  the  danger  involved,  not 
only  to  ourselves,  but  also  to  the  unwieldy  mass 
of  humanity. 

Most  of  the  extra  policemen  drafted  into  the 
town  had  naturally  been  placed  on  the  streets 
along  the  route  where  the  Emperor  would  pass, 
and   as   we   had   directed   our   steps   to   a  more 

17 


258     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

secluded  thoroughfare,  there  were  none  to  be 
seen  anywhere,  with  the  exception  of  those  near 
the  station. 

The  enormous  crowd  seemed  to  break  up  at 
once  with  a  yelp  of  astonished  joy,  and  to  fling 
itself  with  that  blindly  loyal  ardour  so  character- 
istic of  the  nation  upon  our  small  group. 

"  Let  us  get  back  to  the  station,"  implored  the 
Empress,  who  saw  at  once  the  danger  of  advancing 
into  that  yelling,  shouting,  scampering,  excited 
mass. 

It  was  wonderful  to  see  the  orderly,  apparently 
disciplined  crowd  of  a  moment  before,  which  had 
settled  down  peaceably  to  wait  for  the  Emperor's 
return,  suddenly  disintegrate  into  a  wildly-running 
horde,  to  watch  the  policemen,  voluble  and  ex- 
cited, and  absolutely  nonplussed  at  the  unexpected 
turn  of  events,  swept  like  leaves  before  the  wind. 
Their  shouts,  blows  and  expostulations  were 
powerless  to  stem  that  torrent  of  irresistible 
humanity.  The  shriek  of  their  voices  betrayed  a 
fearful  anxiety  and  powerlessness,  which  sounded 
ominously  in  our  ears. 

We  all  wanted  to  return  to  the  station — even 
the  Princess  was  obviously  ready  to  renounce 
her  "  little  walk  "  through  the  town — but  a  glance 
behind  showed  its  impossibility.  All  we  could 
do  was  to  keep  on,  the  officer  pointing  out  a  side- 
street  which  he  thought  led  back  to  the  station 
in  another  direction. 

He  kept  on  continually  shouting  vain  appeals  to 
the  crowd,  which  became  every  moment  denser, 
ruder  and  dirtier.  It  was  the  hour  when  the 
workshops    and    factories    vomited    forth    their 


ROMINTEN  259 

occupants  for  Mittagessen,  so  that  it  soon  became 
a  crowd  composed  largely  of  Socialists  and  Jewish 
Poles,  who  congregate  in  Konigsberg.  Unfortu- 
nately we  took  a  wrong  turning,  and  our  road  led 
through  some  of  the  worst  quarters  of  the  town. 

The  cheering  and  hurrahing  soon  ceased,  but 
the  shouting  and  yelling  went  on  ;  we  were  the 
centre  of  a  dirty,  frowsy  mob,  who  smelt  abomin- 
ably, and  treated  our  small  group  as  though  we 
were  a  show  of  some  kind  out  for  their  amusement. 
The  officer  again  appealed  to  the  better  feelings 
of  the  people,  and  begged  the  dirty  children  to  re- 
member what  they  had  been  taught  in  school, 
but  they  only  laughed  and  darted  in  and  out  and 
laid  their  filthy  hands  on  the  dress  of  the  Empress. 

In  my  younger  more  unregenerate  days  I  had 
learned  from  a  schoolboy  brother  a  certain  sudden 
grip  at  the  back  of  the  neck  or  collar  which  we 
often  employed  in  any  slight  dispute.  Our  nurses 
and  governesses  always  characterized  it  as  "  most 
unladylike,"  which  no  doubt  it  was,  but  none  the 
less  effective ;  and  as  these  horrible  children  grew 
bolder  and  more  repulsive,  and  tried  to  dart 
between  the  Empress  and  the  Princess,  I  found 
this  old  "  choker,"  as  we  had  called  it,  very  useful 
in  intercepting  them.  As  a  yelling  boy  bumped 
along,  he  was  suddenly  "  brought  up  short "  in 
mid  career  and  by  a  grip  at  the  nape  of  his  neck 
flung  back  among  his  comrades,  helping  to  put 
them  also  into  momentary  confusion.  Even  this 
slight  check  was  a  great  help,  and  although  it  was 
warm  work  for  such  a  hot  day,  I  continued 
unweariedly,  with  a  certain  sporting  pleasure 
which   struck   me   at   the   time   as   amusing,    to 


260     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

capture  one  filthy  youngster  after  another  and 
fling  him  violently  back  into  the  roadway.  The 
officer  still  shouted  after  policemen,  and  presently 
I  became  aware  of  one  walking  beside  me,  who 
was  also  aiding  in  the  good  work  of  "  chucking 
out."  I  think  he  had  caught  the  idea  from  me. 
At  any  rate  we  toiled  in  tacit  good-fellowship 
side  by  side  for  some  time.  Then  at  last  a  few 
more  policemen  were  picked  up  and  we  got  into 
a  rather  more  respectable  neighbourhood ;  but  the 
crowd  was  still  frightfully  dense,  and  the  police- 
men banged  and  thrust  unmercifully.  Sometimes 
quite  innocent,  unsuspecting  people  just  coming 
out  of  their  own  doorways  were  taken  by  the 
shoulders  and  whirled  back  into  their  homes 
again,  wondering,  I  am  sure,  if  dynamite  or  an 
earthquake  had  struck  them. 

At  last  we  came  again  in  view  of  the  station, 
and  a  mass  of  policemen  took  us  in  charge,  still 
rather  nervous — the  policemen  I  mean — and  very 
irritated  with  the  crowd  and  perhaps  a  little  with  us. 

The  time  for  the  train  to  start  was  overdue. 
We  scrambled  in  hurriedly,  but  the  Empress 
wished  to  show  the  accompanying  officer  some 
recognition  of  the  strenuous  activity  he  had 
displayed  on  her  behalf.  The  gentleman-in-wait- 
ing hastily  produced  a  case  full  of  those  royal- 
monogrammed-scarfpins,  studs,  and  brooches, 
which  are  part  of  the  travelling  equipment  of  every 
court.  The  officer  received  a  tie-pin,  and  one  of 
the  police-officers  some  studs,  thrust  into  his  hands 
almost  as  the  train  moved  off,  and  we  were  left 
to  review  and  discuss  the  experiences  of  the  last 
half-hour. 


ROMINTEN  261 

"  Never,  no,  never  in  the  whole  course  of  my 
experience,"  declared  the  Empress,  "  was  I  in 
such  a  fearful  crowd.  I  really  began  to  think 
that  we  never  should  emerge  alive.  It  was  too 
horrible." 

She  shuddered  and  was  obviously  unstrung. 
As  for  the  Princess,  she  was  unusually  pale  and 
subdued,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  she  again 
proposed  "  a  tiny  walk  "  in  a  strange  town. 

In  the  next  morning's  Konigsberg  Times  was 
a  paragraph  in  the  news  column  to  the  effect 
that  the  Empress  and  Princess,  with  a  small 
following,  had  walked  "  ungezwungen "  (freely) 
through  the  town  for  a  short  time.  Obviously  the 
reporter  had  not  been  in  the  thick  of  the  crowd. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

THE    KAISER    AND    KAISERIN 

THE  key  to  a  man's  actions  must  always 
be  found  in  his  personal  character.  Two 
men  saying  exactly  the  same  thing  do  not 
mean  the  same  thing,  but  through  the  medium 
of  speech  are  expressing  their  own  individualities, 
prejudices,  illusions,  their  outlook  on  the  world. 
The  German  Emperor,  explained,  interpreted, 
misinterpreted,  by  his  own  actions  perhaps  as 
much  as  by  the  many  persons  who,  after  a  few 
hours'  conversation  with  him,  imagine  that  they, 
and  they  only,  have  had  a  real  soul-revelation 
from  this  frankly-unreserved,  many-sided  monarch, 
might  say  with  Emerson,  "To  be  great  is  to  be 
misunderstood."  It  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  he 
does  not  particularly  want  to  be  understood — that 
he  hardly  understands  himself.  "  A  foolish  con- 
sistency is  the  hobgoblin  of  little  minds." 

The  Emperor's  conversation  at  its  best  has  a 
certain  quality  of  intoxication — is  provocative  of 
thought  and  wit.  Men  have  been  seen,  grave 
American  professors  and  others  of  that  type  not 
easily  thrown  off  their  mental  balance,  to  retire 
from  talk  with  His  Majesty  with  the  somewhat 
dazedly  ecstatic  look  of  people  who  have  indulged 
in  champagne  ;    then  they  go  home,  and  under 

262 


THE   KAISER   AND   KAISERIN  263 

the  influence   of  this   interview  write   eulogistic, 
apologetic  character-sketches  of  the  Emperor. 

It  may  be  asked  how  does  he  appear  in  the 
intimacies  of  private  life,  to  the  inner  circle  of 
his  Court,  to  those  who  see  him  in  unguarded 
moments  ?  Men  often  change  for  the  better,  or 
sometimes  for  the  worse,  when  they  retire  from 
the  public  eye.  But  the  Emperor  is  much  the 
same  everywhere,  he  has  no  special  reserves  of 
character  for  domestic  consumption  only. 

At  home  he  inspires  much  the  same  charm  that 
he  does  abroad,  and  sometimes  the  same  irritation. 
Unexpected  people,  whimsical  people,  are  neces- 
sarily alternately  irritating  and  charming  just  as 
their  moods  happen  to  please  or  displease  the 
circle  of  people  whom  they  affect.  He  is  a  man  j 
who  is  bound  to  get  somewhat  on  the  nerves  of 
those  who  surround  him,  to  make  his  service 
laborious  to  his  servants,  his  secretaries,  his 
courtiers,  who  live  in  a  state  of  continual  appre- 
hension, fearing  that  they  may  not  be  ready  for 
some  sudden  call,  some  unanticipated  duty.  There 
is  no  more  alert  place  in  the  world  than  the 
Prussian  Court. 

"  We  are  like  the  Israelites  at  the  Passover,"  , 
grumbled  one  lady :  "we  must  always  have  our 
loins  girt,  our  shoes  on  our  feet — shoes  suitable 
for  any  and  every  occasion,  fit  for  walking  on 
palace  floors  or  down  muddy  roads — our  staff  in 
our  hand ;  nobody  dare  relax  and  settle  down  to 
be  comfortable." 

The  Emperor  disapproves  of  people  who  wantr 
to  settle  down  and  be  comfortable.     In  a  jolly, 
good-humoured  but  none  the  less  autocratic  kind 


264     MEMORIES    OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

of  way,  he  sets  everybody  doing  something.  He 
likes  to  keep  things  moving,  has  no  desire  for  the 
humdrum,  the  usual,  the  everlasting  sameness  of 
things. 

No  one  who  knows  the  Emperor  intimately  can 
fail  to  see  how  early  English  influences  have 
helped  to  mould  his  character,  how  intensely  he 
loves  and  admires  English  life  as  apart  from 
English  politics,  for  which  he  has  a  perplexed, 
irritated  wonderment  and  contempt. 

"  Not  one  of  your  Ministers,"  he  said  to  me 
on  one  occasion,  "  can  tell  how  many  ships  of  the 
line  you  have  in  your  navy.  I  can  tell  him — he 
can't  tell  me.  And  your  Minister  of  War  can't 
even  ride :  I  offered  him  a  mount  and  every 
opportunity  to  see  the  manoeuvres — '  Thanks 
very  much  for  your  Majesty's  gracious  offer — ■ 
Sorry  can't  accept  it — I'm  no  horseman  un- 
fortunately.' A  Minister  of  War  ! — and  can't 
ride  !  Unthinkable  !  "  He  gave  his  short,  sharp 
laugh. 

But  life  as  lived  in  the  English  country-side 
has  for  him  irresistible  charms. 

When  some  years  ago  he  for  a  few  weeks  occupied 
Highcliffe  Castle,  near  Bournemouth — a  proceeding 
which  very  much  annoyed  a  section  of  his  subjects, 
who  considered  that  Germany  possessed  just  as 
many  "  eligible  residences"  for  the  purposes  of  a 
"  cure  "  as  did  England,  of  whom  those  Germans 
who  know  least  of  her  are  naturally  most  sus- 
picious— his  letters  to  Her  Majesty,  portions  of 
which  she  occasionally  read  aloud  at  supper, 
showed  how  absolutely  he  enjoyed  that  peaceful, 
comfortable,  untrammelled,  simple  country-house 


THE   KAISER  AND   KAISERIN  265 

life:  how  the  beautiful  gardens — there  are  no 
beautiful  gardens  in  Germany — the  product  of 
years  of  thought  and  labour,  a  growth  of  the  ages, 
imbued  as  they  are  with  the  glamour  and  mystery 
of  the  past,  appealed  to  the  artistic  side  of  his 
soul;  how  "thoroughly  at  home" — his  own  ex- 
pression— he  felt  there,  how  rested  and  refreshed 
in  body  and  soul. 

He  wanted  the  Empress,  if  only  for  a  week,  to 
come  and  join  him,  so  that  she  might  share  some- 
thing of  his  delight  and  pleasure  in  the  old  house, 
in  its  wealth  of  memories,  its  many  treasures  of  art 
and  historical  relics ;  but  there  was  the  difficulty 
of  accommodating  the  suite,  the  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, the  maids  and  footmen,  with  which  royalty 
can  never  dispense,  however  simple  in  its  own 
personal  needs  it  may  be. 

So  the  plan  fell  through — the  time  was  too  short 
to  arrange  matters  ;  but  the  Emperor  in  his  letters 
described  in  minutest  detail  everything  that 
happened  there— his  delight  in  the  pretty  English 
children  he  met,  his  pleasure  in  the  tea  he  gave 
to  the  boys  and  girls  on  the  estate,  his  astonish- 
ment at  their  well-dressed  appearance,  their 
reserved,  composed  manners,  at  the  way  in  which 
they  sang  grace,  at  the  clergyman  who  controlled 
the  proceedings  and  knew  how  to  box  and  play 
cricket.  It  is  quite  impossible  to  imagine  a  Ger- 
man Pastor  who  can  play  cricket,  and  as  for 
boxing  .  .  .  ! 

"  Poor  Papa  !  "  said  the  Princess,  "  he  is  quite 
broken-hearted  at  leaving  his  dear  Highcliffe." 

Any  one  living  in  the  atmosphere  of  German 
palaces  can  understand  this  regret.     It  is  conceded 


266     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

that  no  one  in  the  world  can  create  like  the  English 
that  delightful  surrounding  of  freedom  and  com- 
fort, of  cultured,  artistic  luxury  combined  with 
a  certain  strenuous  out-of-door  life.  The  palaces 
inhabited  by  the  Emperor  are  huge,  magnificent 
buildings,  expensively  and  uncomfortably  con- 
structed ;  and  Germany  has  too  recently  been 
engaged  in  the  stern  business  of  war,  her  faculties 
are  still  too  absorbed  in  the  great  question  of 
defence,  to  be  able  to  afford  the  leisure  to  accumu- 
late those  relics  and  treasures  of  past  ages  which 
are  the  charm  of  England. 

"  Ah,  you  have  never  had  a  Napoleon  to  plunder 
and  burn  your  country  houses,"  sighed  the  Em- 
peror, almost  apologetically,  once,  when  talking 
of  his  English  visit :  "  your  Reynoldses  and 
Gainsboroughs,  where  would  they  have  been  if 
Napoleon's  Marshals  or  his  soldiers  had  seen 
them  ?  Perhaps  burnt  or  destroyed,  or  sent  to 
the  Louvre.  Think  what  it  must  mean  to  the 
children  of  a  house  to  live  with  one  of  those 
pictures,  to  absorb  it  unconsciously  into  their 
mentalities ;  they  must  grow  up  with  a  love  of 
beautiful  things— they  cannot  help  it.  We  have 
nothing  of  the  kind ;  our  houses  were  stripped 
and  burnt." 

I  suggested  something  about  Cromwell  and  the 
way  his  gentle  Ironsides  in  their  zeal  smashed  up 
the  beautiful  sculptures  of  our  cathedrals  and 
stabled  their  horses  in  the  naves.  "  Though  the 
horses  did  less  damage  than  the  men,"  I  conceded. 

"Ah,  Cromwell!"  he  replied:  "Cromwell  did 
nothing  in  comparison  with  Napoleon ;  besides, 
that  was  much  further  back — long  ago — Gains- 


THE   KAISER   AND   KAISERIN  267 

borough  and  Reynolds  not  yet  born.  All  our 
art  treasures  were  absolutely  destroyed,  burnt,  by 
Napoleon.  Art  and  War  cannot  live  side  by  side. 
We  have  had  too  much  fighting,  and  now  must 
re-create,  rebuild  almost  from  the  beginning." 

"  Yes,  it  is  lucky  for  us  that  we  live  on  an  island, 
and  that  the  French  fleet  met  its  Trafalgar,"  I 
said.      "  Nelson  saved  our  art-treasures  for  us,  I 

suppose." 

"  I  expect  he  did,"  returned  His  Majesty, 
nodding  his  head  emphatically.  "  So  you  recognize 
that,  do  you  ?  "  and  he  turned  away  laughing  and 
still  nodding  vigorously,  thinking,  I  am  sure,  a 
good  deal  about  Nelson  and  the  fleet. 

Nobody  has  ever  accused  the  Emperor  of  being 
a   diplomatist.     He   himself   believes   that   he   is 
very  astute  and  can  see  farther  than  most  men. 
He  is,  so  to  speak,  a  little  blinded  by  his  own 
brilliancy,  by  the  versatility  of  his  own  powers, 
which  are  apt  to  lead  him  astray.     He  has  never-* 
acquired  the  broad,   tolerant  outlook  of  a  man 
who  tries  to  view  things  from  another's  standpoint. 
He  has,  in  fact,  only  one  point  of  view — his  own  a 
— and   a   certain   superficiality   characterizes   his 
thought.     He  has  a  marvellous  memory  for  facts, 
deduces  hasty  inferences,   is  too  prompt  in  de- 
cision,   relies   perhaps   too   entirely   on   his   own 
judgment    and    his    own    personal    desires    and 
experiences;   he   does  not,   in  fact,  give  himself 
time   and   opportunity   to   think   things   out,    to 
weigh   consequences,    and  he  has,  unfortunately,^ 
few  really  great  minds  around  him.     Conscientious, 
hard-working   men   in   plenty,    but   the   man    of 
imagination,  of  original  conception,  of  new  ideas 


268    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

— and  there  are  many  such  men  in  Germany — does 
not  seem  to  be  admitted  to  his  councils.  A  great 
statesman  is  not  at  hand  just  now— one  who  can 
impress  his  thought  on  the  Emperor's  receptive 
mind  and  guide  his  activities,  the  wonderful 
forces  of  his  mind,  into  the  best  avenues  for  their 
development. 

In  spite  of  his  belief  in  the  special  mission  of 
the  Hohenzollern  family  to  carry  out  Divine 
purposes,  fan  idea  not  uncorroborated  by  the  course 
of  history)  jie  is  in  every  respect  more  democratic 
than  his  Court.  The  magic  ''von"  has,  under 
his  influence,  lost  some  of  its  prestige.  He  has 
bestowed  the  coveted  syllable  on  certain  people 
whom  he  desired  to  see  at  Court,  and  invited  to 
his  table  many  men  not  enjoying  the  prepositional 
advantage.  One  of  them,  Herr  Ballin,  the  head 
and  inspiration  of  the  Hamburg- America  Line  of 
Steamships,  a  self-made  man  with  Jewish  blood 
in  his  veins,  was  even  asked  to  Rominten,  where 
only  the  elect  expect  to  meet  each  other.  Not 
only  that — to  him  was  conceded  a  rare  and 
much-coveted  privilege  :  he  was  allowed  to  go 
stag-hunting,  and,  worse  still,  bagged  three  fine 
specimens,  one  of  them  a  stag-royal. 

What  made  this  still  more  galling  to  the  blue- 
blooded  entourage  was  that  a  special  friend  of  the 
Kaiser,  a  dear,  delightful,  charming  old  gentleman 
whom  everybody  liked,  had  been  accorded  a 
similar  favour,  but  came  back  time  after  time 
without  wearing  the  coveted  spray  of  oak-leaves 
in  the  back  of  his  hat,  the  leaves  whose  absence 
is  so  painfully  eloquent  of  failure. 

A   universal   groan   used   to   go   up   from   the 


THE   KAISER  AND   KAISERIN  269 

lingerers  in  the  courtyard  as  the  yellow  Jagd- 
Wagen  appeared  in  sight  and  still  no  "  Spruch" 
was  visible  to  the  anxious  watchers. 

"  There,  the  General  has  again  had  no  luck  !  " 
they  would  remark ;  and  it  became  quite  monoto- 
nous to  see  the  General  depart,  all  smiles,  in  his 
green  uniform  amid  a  chorus  of  "  Waidmann's 
Ueiiy  and  watch  his  return  sadly  and  slowly  in 
the  dusk  of  evening. 

The  Emperor  likes  to  be  identified  with  success- 
ful people  of  every  class,  to  feel  that  he  has 
contributed  something  to  their  success,  to  indicate 
to  them  further  channels  of  improvement.  There 
are  probably  few  successful  artists,  architects, 
engineers,  or  shipbuilders,  who  have  not  been  at 
some  time  indebted  to  the  Emperor  for  many 
professional  suggestions.  It  is  a  matter  oU 
common  knowledge  that  all  architectural  plans  for 
Government  buildings,  post  offices,  railway  stations, 
barracks,  etc.,  are  invariably  submitted  to  His 
Majesty — a  censorship  productive  of  many  terrors 
and  much  apprehension  in  the  official  mind,  for 
the  question  of  expense  is  ignored  and  the  Imperial 
blue  pencil  strikes  out  perhaps  the  toil  of  months, 
substituting  something  maybe  less  adequate  to 
the  intended  purpose.  Yet,  on  the  whole,  this 
autocratic  method  has  been  productive  of  much 
good :  it  has  saved  the  nation  from  the  frightful 
utilitarian  atrocities  of  the  inartistic  Town  Council, 
whose  hideous  square  piles  of  bricks  lie  like  a 
nightmare  on  the  public  conscience.  If  the 
Emperor  often  misses  the  best,  his  taste  is  at  any 
rate  on  a  sufficiently  high  level  of  excellence,  and 
it  improves  with  advancing  years. 


270     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Among  the  many  artists,  some  good,  many  of 
mediocre  talents,  to  whom  he  has  given  his 
patronage,  the  famous  Laszlo  has  painted  the 
most  successful  portraits  of  the  Kaiser  and 
Kaiserin,  and  their  daughter.  Perhaps  the  most 
charming  of  all  is  that  of  the  young  Princess  with 
her  hair  falling  over  her  shoulders  and  her  hands  full 
of  flowers.  She  and  Herr  Laszlo  were  very  great 
friends,  and  it  was  amusing  to  hear  the  Princess 
attempt  to  talk  about  Art — for,  to  tell  the  truth, 
her  efforts  at  drawing  had,  at  that  period,  not 
advanced  very  far.  Laszlo  wished  very  much  to 
see  her  productions,  and  she  one  day  brought  him 
a  few  rather  smudgy  charcoal  sketches  which 
many  people  had  pronounced  "quite  nice."  Laszlo, 
however,  left  her  no  illusions  on  the  subject.  He 
looked  at  them  and  smiled,  and  laid  them  down 
and  said,  "  Well,  shall  we  get  on  with  our  picture 
now  ?  " 

The  Princess  once  gave  him  a  doll  dressed  in 
Rococo  costume,  and  he  painted  its  portrait  in  oils 
and  sent  it  to  her  on  her  birthday.  It  is  now  one 
of  her  most  cherished  possessions.  Laszlo' s  portrait 
of  Her  Majesty  was  an  excellent  likeness,  and 
conveyed  that  air  of  stately  dignity  and  placid 
calm  so  characteristic  of  the  Empress,  one  which 
no  other  of  her  portraits  possesses.  Besides  these 
three  royal  sitters  the  Crown  Prince  and  Princess 
too  were  sketched  in  oils,  and  the  resulting  likeness 
of  the  Crown  Prince  was  extraordinarily  clever, 
conveying  the  curious  cat-like,  rather  mesmeric 
look  of  his  eyes.  It  was  almost  too  good  a  like- 
ness, and  many  people  disliked  it  extremely — it 
was    so    unlike    the    rather    quiet,   absorbed    ex- 


. 


THE   KAISER   AND   KAISERIN  271 

pression  that  most   artists   give   to   His  Imperial 
Highness. 

To  see  the  Emperor  with  children  is  always 
amusing.  His  own,  with  the  exception  of  his 
little  daughter,  he  has  kept  as  they  grew  up 
sternly  to  their  duties,  first  as  schoolboys,  then 
later  on  as  officers  in  the  army.  Only  of  his 
little  girl — now  a  little  girl  no  longer — has  he 
been  heard  to  relate  infantine  anecdotes,  to  tell 
of  her  tiny  imperious  ways  and  childish  wilfulness. 
But  none  of  them,  though  they  all  adored  "  Papa,"  ^ 
were  ever  familiar  with  him.  They  all  were 
brought  up  to  believe  him  the  most  wonderful 
person  in  the  world,  but  in  that  they  were  not  so 
very  different  from  a  good  many  other  children. 
To  see  the  Emperor  with  his  grandsons  is  perhaps 
one  of  the  pleasantest  sights  in  the  world ;  to 
hear  them  explain  their  picture-books  to  Gross- 
Papa,  to  watch  them  gravely  saluting  each  other 
when  they  meet  in  uniform,  or  to  see  the  four 
small  boys  in  white  sailor-suits  stooping  in  turn  to 
kiss  His  Majesty's  hand.  They  are  on  the  very 
best  of  terms,  for  Gross-Papa  has  a  wonderful 
knack  of  finding  his  way  to  childish  hearts. 

The  Kinder heim  at  Rominten  is  a  kind  of 
creche,  established  by  the  Empress  for  the  tiny 
children,  where,  when  their  mothers  are  working 
in  the  fields,  they  can  be  cared  for  by  a  trained 
deaconess,  who  is  also  the  depositary  of  sundry 
medical  stores  supplied  by  Her  Majesty  for  the 
use  of  the  villagers. 

Every  year,  on  the  Sunday  before  the  departure 
of  Their  Majesties  from  Rominten,  a  small  festivity 
taking  the  form  of  a  children's  tea  is  given  here 


272     MEMORIES    OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

by  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  and  His  Majesty 
may  be  seen  in  his  green  uniform,  distributing 
hunks  of  cake  to  each  sunburnt  child ;  and  when 
their  wants  are  temporarily  satisfied,  nothing 
pleases  him  better  than  to  thrust  huge  slabs  of 
sticky  currant  buns  into  the  unwilling  hands  of 
the  attendant  ladies  and  gentlemen,  who,  receiving 
the  unwelcome  gift  with  a  forced  smile,  take  an 
early  opportunity  of  surreptitiously  slipping  it 
back  into  the  tray  whence  it  was  taken. 

On  the  occasion  of  one  of  these  teas  a  small 
boy  of  six,  thirsting  for  notoriety,  barred  the 
Emperor's  path  at  the  moment  when  he  was  on 
the  point  of  leaving  the  feast  to  step  into  the 
hunting-cart  waiting  outside  with  keeper  and 
guns  to  take  him  to  a  part  of  the  forest  some  miles 
away,  where  a  lordly  "  eighteen-ender  "  was  wont 
to  browse  at  sunset. 

This  child,  who  possessed  a  phenomenal  memory, 
burst  into  the  recital  of  a  poem,  to  which  the 
Emperor,  expecting  every  line  to  be  the  last,  lent 
at  first  a  sufficiently  attentive  ear ;  but  as  time 
went  on,  the  poetic  effusion,  which  described  with 
unnecessary  wealth  of  detail  the  events  of  the 
recently  celebrated  Silver  Wedding  of  Their 
Majesties,  seemed  to  expand  its  scope  and  gather 
strength  and  volume  with  each  succeeding  verse, 
while  the  Empress,  aware  of  the  portentous  length 
of  this  rhyming  masterpiece,  tried  to  stem  the 
flood  of  poetry  by  suggesting  that  the  rest  might 
be  said  another  time. 

But  the  sturdy  young  peasant,  completely 
absorbed  in  his  task,  continued  relentlessly,  in 
his  broad  East-Prussian  accent,  his  eyes  faithfully 


THE   KAISER  AND   KAISERIN  273 

fixed  on  the  toes  of  the  Emperor's  boots.  His 
Majesty,  like  the  Wedding-Guest,  "  could  not 
choose  but  hear,"  and  if  he  did  not  listen  like  a 
three-years  child,  at  any  rate  bore  manfully  with 
the  ceaseless  monotone.  At  last  it  suddenly 
descended  two  tones,  stopped,  and  with  a  wooden 
bow  the  young  reciter  concluded  his  stupendous 
effort,  and  his  Imperial  auditor,  throwing  thanks 
and  praise  over  his  shoulder,  went  off  to  deal 
with  the  stag,  while  the  small  boy  retired  shame- 
facedly into  the  crowd  covered  with  glory  and 
stuffed  with  cake. 

The  indefatigable  deaconess  had  trained  ten 
small  boys  to  form  a  guard  of  honour  and  to 
present  arms  and  go  through  certain  military 
exercises  whenever  Royalty  appeared,  one  tiny 
fellow  performing  laboriously  on  a  very  inadequate 
drum  the  while.  When  the  Emperor  came  in 
sight  they  always  went  through  all  these  evolutions, 
Prdsentirt  das  Gewehr,  Gewehr  ab,  and  so  on,  the 
small  Unter-Offizier,  aged  seven,  giving  his  orders 
with  the  greatest  coolness  and  precision. 

The  German  Empress  has  always  played  a 
somewhat  subordinate  role,  but  it  is  unnecessary 
to  deduce  from  this  obvious  fact  the  idea  that 
she  is  a  nonentity  or  a  mere  Haus-frau,  because 
Her  Majesty  is  nothing  of  the  kind,  but  a  woman 
with  wide  interests,  who  from  morning  till  night 
is  occupied  with  social  schemes  for  the  betterment 
of  the  people. 

Of  her  it  may  be  said,  as  Thackeray  wrote  of 
Lady  Castlewood,  "It  is  this  lady's  disposition 
to  think  kindnesses,  and  devise  silent  bounties, 
and  to  scheme  benevolence  for  those  about  her.  .  .  . 

18 


274    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

To  be  doing  good  for  some  one  else  is  the  life  of 
most  good  women.  They  are  exuberant  of  kind- 
ness, as  it  were,  and  must  impart  it  to  some  one 
else/' 

And  if  kindness  is  the  most  conspicuous  trait 
in  the  Empress's  character,  it  is  a  kindness  directed 
into  many  useful  public  channels,  finding  an  outlet 
in  worthy  objects,  in  social  service,  and  much 
arduous  work  for  the  help  and  uplifting  of  man- 
kind. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  perhaps  no  other  woman 
in  the  world  would  have  been  so  admirably  suited 
to  the  Emperor's  varying  moods,  to  his  suddenness, 
his  volcanic  outbursts  of  energy.  In  the  presence 
of  her  husband  she  is  self-sacrificing,  self-effacing, 
but  when  apart  from  him  shows  plenty  of  initiative 
and  self-confidence. 

For  the  first  twenty  years  of  her  married  life 
she  was  occupied  in  the  care  of  her  children,  but 
by  no  means  entirely  absorbed  by  them,  for  she 
has  always  been  deeply  interested  in  problems  of 
poverty  and  disease,  and  in  the  nurture  of  children, 
and  has  thrown  all  her  influence  in  the  scale 
against  that  excessive  exploitation  of  the  childish 
brain  against  which  modern  scientists  are  now 
upraising  their  voices.  She  is  not  at  all  pleased 
when  poor  little  nervous  children  are  thrust 
forward  to  recite  poetry  to  her ;  she  much 
prefers  a  bunch  of  flowers  and  something  frankly 
childish,  like  the  greeting  of  the  small  maiden 
who,  having  totally  forgotten  the  speech  she  was 
to  make,  and  finding  the  Empress  so  different 
from  what  she  expected,  just  said  shortly,  employ- 
ing to  the  horror  of  her  parents  the  familiar  Du  : 


THE   KAISER   AND   KAISERIN  275 

"  You're  the  Empress,  aren't  you?  I'm  Anna 
Kruger.  Here,  these  flowers  are  for  you."  And 
the  unabashed  infant  thrust  her  flowers  into  the 
hand  of  the  Empress,  turned  her  back  and  toddled 
off. 

All  the  public  hospitals  of  Berlin  are  under  the 
direct  superintendence  and  control  of  the  Empress, 
who,  as  the  wife  of  an  autocratic  monarch,  pos- 
sesses much  more  direct  authority  than  most 
Queen-consorts.  Her  interest  in  them  is  practical 
and  thorough.  She  allows  no  alteration  in  con- 
struction, no  building  to  be  done,  without  going 
into  the  domestic  side  of  the  project.  She  knows 
where  cupboards  are  necessary,  where  doors  will 
save  needless  footsteps  to  and  fro;  she  realizes 
the  needs  of  women,  too  apt  to  be  ignored  where 
men  alone  arrange  their  treatment.  She  is  in- 
defatigable in  trying  to  spread  knowledge  of  the 
care  of  children  among  poor  women,  often  so 
deplorably  ignorant  of  what  they  most  need  to 
know.  She  detests  the  German  method  of  placing 
men  almost  entirely  in  charge  of  girls'  schools  ; 
she  has  fought  with  some  success  against  this 
masculine  assumption  of  authority,  nowhere  car- 
ried so  far  as  in  the  Fatherland,  where  little  girls 
may  be  daily  seen  taking  their  walks  in  Berlin 
under  the  charge  of  a  solemn  young  man  in 
spectacles. 

The  Empress  is  tall  and  well-made,  and  her 
hair  turned  white  at  a  very  early  age— chiefly,  say 
those  people  who  have  an  explanation  for  every- 
thing, because  of  her  grief  that  her  only  daughter 
was  born  deaf  and  dumb  !  This  popular  myth 
has  naturally  fitted  in  nicely  with  the  white  hair, 


276    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

so  that  it  is  almost  a  pity  that  it  has  no  thread  of 
truth  upon  which  to  hang.  In  any  case,  the  white 
hair  is  very  becoming  to  the  statuesque  dignity 
of  the  Empress,  who  grows  year  by  year  more 
impressive,  more  stately. 

Her  Majesty's  chief  recreation,  the  one  in  which 
she  most  delights,  is  riding.  Every  day,  if  possible, 
she  takes  a  brisk  canter  of  an  hour  or  two.  She 
also  plays  a  good  deal  of  lawn-tennis — although 
during  the  last  year  her  health  has  not  permitted 
her  to  indulge  quite  so  often  in  this  game. 

4  Her  reading  consists  largely  of  historical  memoirs, 
which  interest  her  deeply ;  but  she  has  not  a  mind 
quickly  receptive  of  new  ideas— would  perhaps  be 
a  little  narrowly  intolerant  if  she  were  not  pre- 
vented by  her  essential  kindness  of  heart.     Her 

4- chief  talent  has  always  been  the  creation  of  an 
atmosphere  of  home  for  her  husband  and  children, 
no  light  task  amid  the  rigid  officialism  of  a  court. 
She  has  been  heard  to  relate  how  once,  when 
not  feeling  very  well,  she  sent  to  the  kitchen  for 
some  tea  at  the  unorthodox  hour  of  ten  o'clock 
at  night,  and  was  told  that  to  carry  out  such  an 
order  was  impossible ;  there  was  no  provision  for 
making  tea  at  ten,  only  at  five  or  in  the  morning 
from  eight  to  nine.  So  the  Empress  went  without 
her  tea.  The  next  morning  the  Haus  -Marshall 
requested  Her  Majesty  in  future,  whenever  she 
might  need  tea  at  ten  o'clock,  to  give  orders  for 
it  before  five,  because  all  the  cooks  went  home 
at  that  hour.  The  Empress  at  once  took  steps 
to  enable  herself  or  any  one  else  in  the  palace  to 
obtain  tea  at  any  hour  they  might  need  it. 
She  is   an  industrious   needlewoman,  and  very 


THE   KAISER   AND   KAISERIN  277 

much  dislikes  to  sit  and  talk  without  having  some 
work  to  do,  declaring  that  constant  occupation 
of  the  fingers  is  very  restful  to  the  nerves ;  and 
when  the  old  Court  doctor  remonstrates  that  she 
never  allows  herself  to  rest,  smiles  and  shakes  her 
head  at  him  and  says  quietly,  "  Oh,  you  men  do 
not  understand." 

The  Emperor  of  late  years  always  lies  down 
and  rests  for  an  hour  or  two  in  the  afternoon,  but 
no  efforts  have  ever  been  successful  in  making 
Her  Majesty  do  the  same.  Up  early  in  the  morn- 
ings to  ride  with  her  husband,  walking  with  him 
before  breakfast,  standing  more  or  less  all  day, 
and  often  up  to  a  very  late  hour  of  the  evening 
especially  in  the  season,  it  is  surprising  how  the 
Empress  has  been  able  always  to  fulfil  without 
fail  her  varied  duties,  often  at  the  expense  of 
much  bodily  weariness  and  effort. 

Once  at  Konigsberg,  where  the  Imperial  couple 
had  come  for  some  special  festivities,  after  a 
day  and  a  night's  travelling  in  the  train,  she 
found  herself  so  utterly  overcome  with  fatigue 
that  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  she  felt 
that  unless  she  obtained  some  rest  before  night 
she  must  inevitably  break  down,  for  a  large  dinner 
was  to  take  place  in  the  evening  with  a  reception 
to  follow.  But  all  round  the  old  Konigsberg 
Schloss  was  gathered  an  enthusiastic  crowd  cheer- 
ing and  calling  for  the  Empress,  who  at  last  went 
out  on  to  the  balcony,  and,  holding  up  her  hand 
for  silence,  addressed  them  to  the  following  effect : 

"  Good  people, — I  thank  you  for  your  kind 
reception,  but  for  the  next  two  hours  it  is  neces- 
sary for  me  to  have  some  rest,  so  I  ask  you  to  go 


278     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

away  and  leave  me  in  peace  until  five,  when  you 
may  come  again."  She  then  retired,  and  the 
people  melted  away,  and  for  a  space  there  was 
silence. 

When  Her  Majesty  cruises  in  her  yacht,  the 
Iduna,  off  the  coast  of  Schleswig-Holstein  and 
lies  up  in  port  for  the  night,  every  patriotic  soul 
within  a  radius  of  thirty  miles  is  smitten  with 
the  selfsame  idea — to  come  and  serenade  Her 
Majesty  till  the  small  hours  with  the  selfsame 
song,  "  Schleswig-Holstein  sea-engirdled." 

"  Mamma  and  I  are  perfectly  sick  of  that  song," 
said  the  Princess.  "  People  came  and  rowed  round 
the  Iduna  and  yelled  it  into  the  port-holes  while 
we  were  dressing  and  while  we  dined,  and  when 
we  came  on  deck  there  it  was  again,  and  when  one 
lot  had  finished  another  lot  came  and  began  all 
over  again.     It  was  truly  awful." 

In  Germany  everybody  yearns  to  sing  before 
Royalty.  In  Wilhelmshohe  one  enterprising  lady 
who,  as  one  of  the  princes  remarked,  "  thought 
more  of  her  voice  than  it  deserved,"  hid  herself 
behind  a  bush  in  the  public  part  of  the  park,  and 
when  Her  Majesty  came  walking  unsuspectingly 
in  that  direction  to  enjoy  the  cool  evening  hour 
in  company  with  her  children,  the  lady  burst  into 
impassioned  song  and  shook  out  of  herself  torrents 
of  trills  and  elaborate  shakes  into  the  darkness. 

The  evenings  at  Neues  Palais  in  the  winter-time 
were  usually  very  quiet.  After  supper  the  Em- 
press and  her  ladies  with  their  needlework  would 
sit  round  the  big  table  of  one  of  the  salons,  while 
the  Emperor  looked  at  the  English  papers  spread 
about,  or,  as  often  happened,  read  extracts  from 


THE   KAISER  AND   KAISERIN  279 

them  aloud.  He  usually  wore  glasses  when 
reading,  and  was  very  fond  of  Punch,  especially 
of  the  political  cartoons,  in  which  he  so  frequently 
figured  under  the  guise  of  a  sea-serpent,  an 
organ-grinder,  or  his  imperial  self,  with  ex- 
aggerated moustaches  and  portentous  frown.  I 
always  tried  to  hide  Punch  when  it  was  my 
turn  downstairs.  His  Majesty  liked  to  thrust 
these  embarrassing  pictures  under  my  nose. 

"  What  d'you  think  of  that  ?  "  he  would  say. 
"Nice,  isn't  it?  Good  likeness,  eh?'  It  was 
often  difficult  to  find  a  suitable  answer  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment. 

Somewhere  about  ten  o'clock  the  Empress 
would  rise  and  depart,  followed  by  the  ladies, 
who  all  turned  and  made  a  curtsy  to  the  Emperor 
as  they  went  past,  he  regarding  them  with  a 
rather  mocking,  quizzical  gaze.  When  the  Em- 
peror was  away,  the  ladies  often  dined  upstairs 
in  the  apartment  of  the  Empress,  and  sat  after- 
wards in  her  private  salon,  one  of  the  loveliest 
rooms  in  the  Palace,  all  pale  yellow  satin  and 
silver  mouldings. 

Until  his  marriage  the  Crown  Prince  was  a 
very  frequent  visitor  at  the  New  Palace,  usually 
staying  there  at  Christmas  and  other  times  of 
festivity.  He  is  the  only  one  of  the  princes 
enjoying  the  title  of  Imperial  Highness,  his 
brothers  and  sister  being  only  Royal  Highnesses. 

At  the  time  of  the  death  of  the  Emperor 
Frederick  and  his  father's  accession  to  the  throne 
as  William  II.  the  young  prince  was  only  seven 
years  old. 

So  that  no  invidious  distinction  could  be  made 


280     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

between  himself  and  his  brothers,  the  title  of 
Crown  Prince  was  not  used  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  the  little  boy  was  so  unconscious 
of  his  right  to  the  title  that  when  he  heard  that 
one  of  the  officers  had  been  promoted,  and  was 
asked  to  guess  what  he  had  now  become,  he  said 
with  a  delighted  smile,  "  Perhaps  he's  been  made 
Crown  Prince." 

He  is,  as  every  one  knows,  a  young  man  who 
has  devoted  much  time  to  sport,  and,  like  his  father, 
has  many  spheres  of  activity,  having  written  a 
book,  visited  India,  and  made  some  good  and  a  few 
unwise  speeches.  He  is  an  ardent  soldier  and  a 
typical  Hohenzollern,  with  supreme  confidence  in 
the  star  of  his  family,  and  earnestly  desires  to 
live  his  life  in  his  own  way,  to  move  with  the 
times,  to  be  a  child  of  his  century ;  and  it  is  pro- 
bable that  with  a  little  more  experience  of  life, 
especially  perhaps  of  that  discipline  of  sorrow 
which  initiates  most  men  into  a  new  sphere  of 
thought,  he  will  develop  into  the  man  the  world 
hopes  to  see  in  him — something  steadfast  and 
strong,  and  perhaps  a  little  more  silent.  At 
present  he  is  very  good-natured,  very  kind,  very 
crude  in  his  ideas,  very  young  for  his  age,  very 
self-confident  and  rather  selfish,  as  the  modern 
type  of  young  man  is  apt  to  be.  He  is  popular 
in  Potsdam,  where  he  picks  up  little  boys  for 
rides  on  his  charger  as  he  comes  home  from 
drill,  flings  gold  pieces  abroad  to  poverty-stricken 
people,  gives  lifts  in  his  motor-car  to  weary  men 
on  the  road.  He  has  all  that  facile,  democratic, 
easy  generosity  which  wins  popularity,  and  pos- 
sesses great   charm   of  manner   together  with   a 


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THE   KAISER  AND   KAISERIN  281 

hatred  of  coercion  and  restraint.  Probably  some 
recent  outbreaks  have  been  due  to  a  desire  to 
show  his  independence  of  mind,  a  yearning  to 
cast  off  conventional  shackles  and  to  say  what 
he  thinks. 

He  still  has  a  good  deal  of  the  schoolboy  in 
his  composition,  although  since  his  marriage  he 
has  given  up  his  favourite  pastime  of  sliding 
down  staircase  banisters. 

But  it  is  not  so  long  since,  when  he  and 
his  family  were  living  in  the  Stadt-Schloss  at 
Potsdam,  one  wet  day  when  entertainment  was 
hard  to  find,  he  had  the  happy  idea  of  amusing 
his  children  by  taking  their  tiny  Shetland  pony 
upstairs  to  the  nursery. 

The  pony  had  first  to  be  fetched  by  the  Crown 
Prince  and  his  adjutant  from  the  stables  of  the 
Marmor  Palais,  and  was  with  difficulty  dragged 
and  pushed  into  the  automobile,  where,  in  a 
state  of  abject  terror,  it  protested  all  the  way 
against  its  abduction. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  Stadt-Schloss  the 
pony  was  led  or  rather  hauled  bodily  up  the  stairs, 
and  was  so  unnerved  by  its  experiences  that  its 
behaviour  on  arriving  in  the  nursery  scared  the 
little  princes  into  tears,  and  they  begged  for 
the  pony  to  be  taken  away  again,  howling  without 
intermission  until  the  poor  animal  was,  with 
difficulty,  removed. 


CHAPTER    XV 

CONCLUSION 

-4-  r  |  ^HE  Emperor  William  has  a  great  horror 
of   every   possible   kind    of   infection,    es- 

JL    pecially  of  the  ordinary  cold. 

Unhappy  officials  summoned  to  Court  while 
suffering  from  this  minor  ailment  may  be  seen 
using  surreptitious  pocket-handkerchiefs  behind 
the  kindly  shelter  of  a  palm,  or  slipping  through 
the  window  on  to  the  terrace  to  indulge  in  the 
inevitable  sneeze  out  of  range  of  His  Majesty's 
observation. 

Whenever  the  Emperor  himself  catches  the 
complaint  he  at  once  retires  to  bed  till  the  worst 
is  over,  and  all  engagements  are  cancelled  until 
he  is  well  again. 

"  Go  to  bed  and  perspire"  (only  he  uses  a  more 
forcible  Anglo-Saxon  word)  is  the  advice  he  gives 
and  follows. 

Upon  the  shoulders  of  his  medical  attendants, 
two  in  number,  rests  the  responsibility  of  safe- 
guarding the  Emperor  as  much  as  possible  from 
every  source  of  infection. 

How  many  panic-stricken  exits  from  one  palace 
to  another  do  I  remember !  Flights  at  an  hour's 
notice  from  measles,  chicken-pox,  or  scarlet  fever, 
sometimes  only  to  meet  an  equally  dire  disease 
already  installed  before  us. 

282 


CONCLUSION  283 

On  one  occasion  the  Court  had  just  returned 
from  Berlin  after  the  season,  and  had  settled  down 
comfortably  at  the  New  Palace,  when  some  tire- 
some child  in  the  Communs  opposite  was  found 
to  be  suffering  from  measles,  and  we  were  all 
(with  the  exception  of  the  Emperor,  fortunately 
absent  for  two  days)  hurried  off  to  the  M  armor 
Palais,  which  happened  to  be  totally  unfurnished, 
all  its  chairs  and  tables  having  been  warehoused 
for  the  winter  and  not  yet  replaced. 

We  wandered  about  the  garden  there,  watching 
the  arrival  of  the  vans,  which  had  been  hastily 
summoned  together,  and  now  slowly  and  at  long 
intervals  disgorged  their  contents  at  every  door. 

The  rooms  allotted  to  the  ladies  were  in  a 
little  Dutch  cottage  in  the  garden,  and  contained 
only  a  few  clothes-pegs,  on  which  to  hang  hats 
and  coats.  By  slow  degrees  washstands,  chairs, 
wardrobes,  kept  slowly  filtering  in — though 
many  of  us  had  to  wash  our  hands  at  the  tap 
in  the  passage  before  going  to  dine  with  the 
Empress. 

Somewhere  about  ten  o'clock  at  night  the  beds 
began  to  arrive,  and  for  the  next  few  days  exis- 
tence partook  largely  of  the  disjointed,  uncertain, 
intermittent  nature  of  a  picnic.  Except  for  the 
moral  support  afforded  by  the  white  kid  gloves 
and  fan,  to  which  we  clung  convulsively  through 
that  long  chaos,  we  should  with  difficulty  have 
been  able  to  preserve  the  decent  atmosphere  proper 
to  a  court. 

Another  sudden  exodus  occurred  once,  when 
the  whole  Court,  including  the  Emperor,  were  for 
the  first  time  installed  for  the  winter  in  Belle  Vue, 


284    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

with  its  charming  garden,  which  had  been  recom- 
mended by  the  doctors  as  a  salutary  change  from 
the  Schloss  in  the  Lust-Garten,  which  possesses 
only  a  few  sooty  trees  on  a  grass  plot  two  yards 
square. 

Everybody  was  delighted  with  the  innovation, 
and  the  last  dresses  were  being  hung  in  the  ward- 
robes, the  finishing  touches  given  to  the  delight- 
fully quaint,  sunny  little  freshly -painted  rooms 
overlooking  the  green  Tier-Garten,  when  a  rumour 
ran  shuddering  through  the  palace.  We  were  to 
pack  up  at  once  and  return  to  the  gloomy  old 
Schloss  at  the  other  end  of  the  town.  Prince 
Oskar,  just  returned  from  Italy,  had  developed 
chicken-pox — that  very  catching  illness — and  was 
to  remain  in  Belle  Vue  with  his  adjutant  and 
servants,  while  the  rest  of  us  migrated  elsewhere. 

So  all  the  luggage  had  to  be  re-packed,  and 
before  evening  we  had  retired  from  the  chicken-pox, 
only  to  find  that  after  all  it  had  come  with  us — 
for  the  young  Princess  Alexandra  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein,  who  was  staying  at  the  Court,  and  had 
just  become  engaged  to  her  cousin  Prince  August 
Wilhelm,  the  Emperor's  fourth  son,  fell  ill  of  the 
complaint  almost  immediately ;  but  we  remained 
where  we  were  and  did  not  travel  farther. 

Their  Majesties  were  due  to  pay  a  visit  to 
England  in  a  few  days'  time,  and  many  telegrams 
passed  between  the  two  countries,  the  Prussian 
Court  fearing  to  bring  the  chicken-pox  with  them, 
while  the  English  one  implored  them  to  come  all 
the  same,  as  nobody  there  was  the  least  afraid  of 
it.  The  upshot  was  that  the  visit  was  paid,  the 
Germans  spending  an  apprehensive  week  in  Eng- 


CONCLUSION  285 

land,  always  on  the  alert  for  symptoms  which 
happily  never  appeared. 

Some  time  afterwards,  the  Empress  in  dis- 
cussing this  outbreak  of  chicken-pox  remarked 
that  she  had  not  been  at  all  anxious  about  any  one 
but  the  Emperor.  It  was  entirely  for  his  sake 
that  the  doctors  had  thought  it  well  to  move  from 
Belle-Vue. 

"  No,  not  at  all,"  vehemently  spoke  His  Majesty, 
who  happened  to  overhear  what  his  wife  said. 
"  I  had  chicken-pox  long  ago  when  I  was  a  boy. 
I  wasn't  at  all  afraid  of  it." 

"  But  Wilhelm  !  "  said  the  astonished  Empress, 
"  I  never  knew.     Why  didn't  you  say  so  then  ?  " 

"  Nobody  asked  me,"  said  the  Emperor  grimly  ; 
"  the  doctors  ordered  us  off,  and  there  was  the 
end  of  it.  They  never  told  me  that  it  was  on  my 
account.     I  thought  that  you  were  afraid  of  it." 

This  is  the  kind  of  thing  that  is  apt  to  occur 
when  people  try  to  be  a  little  too  tactful. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  Princess,  "  why  we  fly 
about  so  much  trying  to  run  away  from  various 
diseases ;  we  must  be  always  meeting  and  swallow- 
ing microbes." 

In  Berlin  during  the  wet  weather  the  Emperor 
with  difficulty  can  get  the  exercise  he  needs.  He 
has  had  a  covered  tennis-court  built  in  the  grounds 
of  M on-Bijou  Schloss,  a  short  five  minutes'  walk 
from  the  palace  on  the  Lust-Garten;  and  here, 
when  the  weather  continued  persistently  rainy, 
His  Majesty,  in  a  frightfully  overheated  building, 
would  play  with  any  young  officers  who  were 
fairly  expert  at  the  game.  None  of  them  appeared 
to  enjoy  the  honour  very  much.      The  oppressive 


286    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

atmosphere,  combined  with  the  nervous  appre- 
hension natural  to  the  occasion— the  fear  lest  an 
unlucky  ball,  with  the  hideous  perversity  of 
inanimate  dumb  things,  might  perhaps  rebound 
with  force  against  the  sacred  person  of  His  Majesty 
or,  as  sometimes  happened,  fall  into  the  midst 
of  the  tea-table  presided  over  by  the  Empress — 
paralyzed  the  hand  of  even  the  least  imaginative 
lieutenant. 

"  I  feel  all  unstrung  and  frightened,"  confided 
one  of  these  unfortunate  youths  to  me.  "  Sup- 
posing I  happened  to  give  His  Majesty  a  black 
eye  ?  " 

"  But,"  I  objected,  "  nobody  gets  black  eyes 
at  tennis." 

"  No,  I  know  that,  but  still  I'm  always  thinking 
it  might  happen;  and  you  know  Von  Braun's 
ball  went  bang  into  the  Empress's  teacup  and 
flung  the  tea  all  over  her  gown.  His  mother  was 
in  tears  when  she  heard  of  it." 

As  an  alternative  to  indoor  tennis,  of  which  he 
speedily  grows  tired,  the  Emperor  rides  on  rainy 
afternoons  in  the  fine  large  Reit-Bahn  or  riding- 
school  of  the  royal  stables,  where  one  of  the 
regimental  bands  is  stationed  in  the  gallery,  and 
plays  the  latest  operatic  music  as  His  Majesty 
and  the  adjutants  canter  round. 

To  the  despair  of  the  Master  of  the  Horse  he 
insists  on  having  the  Reit-Bahn  also  artificially 
heated. 

"  The  whole  stable  will  be  coughing  to-morrow," 
groan  the  unhappy  officials  as  they  ponder  on 
the  evil  effects  upon  the  horses  of  the  warm  at- 
mosphere.    But  the  Emperor  likes  to  feel  that 


CONCLUSION  287 

he  is  "  getting  rid,"  he  says,  "  of  a  little  bit  of 
myself." 

Once,  as  the  riders  were  trotting  round  the 
Bahn,  smoke  was  observed  to  be  issuing  from  the 
coat-tails  of  one  of  the  adjutants,  who  was  carrying 
a  box  of  matches  in  his  pocket.  This  small 
incident  amused  the  Emperor  and  restored  his 
good-humour,  always  a  little  affected  by  bad 
weather.  At  supper  he  told  the  tale  with  all  the 
dramatic  exaggerations  in  which  his  soul  delights, 
describing  the  young  officer's  plight  as  "  painful 
in  the  extreme." 

Nothing  pleases  the  Emperor  more  than  to-f 
"  chaff "  his  intimate  friends  about  their  private 
weaknesses.  At  Rominten  he  would  tell  inter- 
minable adventures  of  Admiral  von  Hollman — 
"  Mannchen,"  as  he  used  to  call  him — all  hinging 
on  this  gallant  old  officer's  knack  of  losing  his 
umbrella  and  his  luggage. 

"  He  usually  arrives  at  a  state  reception  without 
a  helmet,  or  something  of  that  kind.  Left  it  on 
the  steamer  or  in  the  train;  took  it  off  to  have 
a  nap,  and  then  forgot  all  about  it, — and  as  for 
umbrellas !  He  buys  them  now  by  the  gross. 
Finds  it  cheaper  !  " 

The  old  Admiral  shakes  his  head,  but  looks  a 
little  guilty. 

"Yes,  yes,"  he  says  dubiously:  "umbrellas! 
they  are — they  are — a  little  evasive.  I  think  of 
them  all  the  time,  and  then — in  a  moment — they 
are  gone.  It  is  marvellous,  Your  Majesty,  mar- 
vellous how  they  disappear." 

"  Last  Christmas,"  says  the  Emperor,  speaking 
to  the  table  at  large,  "  the  Empress  gives  him  a 


288     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

beautiful  new  silk  umbrella,  with  his  name  and 
address  on  it  in  large  letters.  What  is  the  result  ? 
He  sets  off  home  taking  his  umbrella  with  him. 
How  far  do  you  think  ?  "  The  Emperor  thumps 
the  table  to  emphasize  the  astonishing  absent- 
mindedness  of  the  admiral.  "  Why,  he  actually 
leaves  it  in  the  carriage  that  takes  him  to  the 
station — leaves  it  in  the  carriage — loses  it  in  the 
first  half-hour  of  possession." 

The  Admiral  wears  a  shame-faced  smile  like  a 
guilty  schoolboy. 

"  But  that  wasn't  the  end  of  it,  Your  Majesty — 
it  was  found  again." 

"  Found  again  !  "  shouts  the  Emperor,  bursting 
into  a  roar  of  laughter.  "  Yes,  you  found  it 
waiting  for  you  on  the  doorstep  when  you  got 
home,  didn't  you  ?  " 

Some  one  had  seen  the  forsaken  umbrella  and 
given  it  to  a  footman  travelling  to  Berlin  by  the 
same  train,  who  had  left  it  at  the  Admiral's  house. 

The  Emperor  always  talks  with  great  energy, 
and  has  a  habit  of  thrusting  his  face  forward  and 
wagging  his  finger  when  he  wishes  to  be  emphatic. 
He  has  a  very  hearty,  infectious  laugh,  and  often 
stamps  violently  with  one  foot  to  show  his  appre- 
ciation of  a  joke.  His  characteristic  attitude  and 
manner  of  rocking  incessantly  from  one  leg  to 
another  and  nodding  his  head  as  he  talks  make 
it  easy  to  identify  him  in  a  crowd. 

Sometimes  he  falls  into  Napoleonic  attitudes, 
and  occasionally  attempts  to  pinch  the  ear  of  a 
particular  friend. 

On  his  face,  whether  grave  or  gay,  stands  out 
prominently  the  scar  on  his  left  cheek,  made  by 


CONCLUSION  289 

the  madman  who  once  threw  at  him  a  piece  of 
an  iron  bar.  It  is  not  a  long  scar  nor  very  dis- 
figuring, but  the  wound  must  have  been  fairly 
deep.  An  inch  higher  it  might  have  done  terrible 
mischief.  It  was  dangerously  near  one  of  those 
bright  blue,  restless,  twinkling  eyes. 

Sometimes,  but  not  frequently,  the  Emperor 
talks  of  his  mother,  always  in  terms  of  affectionate 
pride  and  appreciation.  Once  at  supper,  dis- 
cussing books,  especially  the  books  one  loved  as 
a  child,  His  Majesty  mentioned  "  Frank  Fair- 
legh  "  as  among  the  chief  favourites  of  his  youth. 

"  I  always  read  it  aloud  to  Mamma  while  she 
was  painting,"  he  said,  "  and  I  shall  never  forget 
how  we  laughed  over  it  together.  Mamma  laughed 
so  much  that  she  couldn't  go  on  painting  when 
I  read  that  part — you  remember  where  George 
Lawless  keeps  jumping  over  a  chair  to  work  off 
the   nervous   excitement   while   he   waits   for   an 

answer  to  his  proposal  of  marriage "  and  the 

Emperor  describes  to  the  assembled  adjutants  and 
ladies  some  of  the  humorous  incidents  of  the  book. 

The  late  Empress  Frederick  has  left  her  markj- 
everywhere  in  the  New  Palace.  One  of  the  gentle- 
men who  had  belonged  to  her  household  remarked 
that  she  was  never  idle,  but  every  evening  after 
dinner  would  sit  with  her  writing-pad  on  her  knee 
planning  out  on  paper  some  scheme,  charitable 
or  otherwise,  which  at  the  moment  occupied  her 
attention. 

"  Sometimes,"  he  said,  "  she  would  discuss 
with  me  some  alteration  or  improvement  till 
perhaps  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  and  in  the  morn- 
ing at  seven  I  would  receive  from  her  a  written 

19 


290     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

statement,  with  all  the  details  and  directions 
worked  out — all  in  her  own  writing.  She  must 
have  written  it  after  I  left." 

+•  The  gardens  and  grounds  of  the  Palace  were 
enlarged  and  beautified  under  her  directions,  and 
the  grass  under  the  trees  planted  with  all  kinds 
of  wild  flowers — campanulas,  forget-me-nots,  he- 
paticas  and  primroses,  which  still  flourish  profusely. 
They  are  called  "Empress  Frederick's  flowers" 
to  this  day  by  the  gardeners. 

On  the  wall  of  my  sitting-room  at  the  New 
Palace  was  a  strange-looking  memorial  made  in 
chocolate-painted  wood,  commemorating  the  death 
of  her  little  son  Prince  Sigismund,  who  died  at 
two  years  of  age.  There  was  the  date  of  his 
birth  and  death,  and  a  sort  of  bracket  which  held 
two  ugly  flower  vases.  The  whole  erection  was 
in  the  worst  possible  artistic  taste,  a  blot  on  the 
room  and  an  eyesore.  It  also  served  to  per- 
petuate the  name  of  Sterbe-Zimmer  or  Death- 
room,  always  used  by  the  housemaids  in  reference 
to  this  apartment,  which  was  otherwise  as  gay 
and  sunny  as  any  in  the  Palace. 

The  Emperor  is  not  unfailingly  humorous  and 
good-tempered,  but  has  his  human  moments  of 
irritability,  and  if  he  is  angry  or  dissatisfied  with 
anybody  they  are  not  long  kept  in  doubt  on 
the  subject.  Occasionally,  like  other  people,  he 
is  unreasonable  and  expects  impossibilities,  but 
on  the  other  hand,  when  his  anger  has  passed, 
he  is  always  willing  to  modify  a  hasty  decision. 

Once  he  went  from  New  Palace  to  Berlin  for 
one  night,  and  the  stable  authorities  did  not  think 
it  necessary  to  take  over  the  saddle-horses  for 


CONCLUSION  291 

that  short  period,  so  that  when  the  next  morning 
the  Emperor  gave  orders  for  his  horses  to  be 
ready  in  an  hour's  time  the  adjutants  felt  un- 
comfortably anxious.  They  gave  the  order,  and 
prayed  Providence  to  interpose  with  a  thunder- 
storm, but  the  weather  remained  unusually  calm 
and  beautiful.  By  great  good  luck  a  horse-box 
was  standing  at  the  Wild-park  station,  close  to 
the  New  Palace,  and  the  horses  and  grooms  were 
crammed  into  it  and  taken  by  special  train  to 
Berlin,  the  journey  occupying  half  an  hour. 
The  Emperor  had  to  complain  that  morning  of 
the  unusual  slowness  of  his  Jagers  in  helping 
him  to  dress,  of  their  inability  to  find  his  favourite 
riding-whip,  of  the  deliberation  with  which  they 
brought  him  what  he  needed. 

"  Are  you  all  asleep  this  morning  ? "  he  de- 
manded, unconscious  of  the  deep-laid  motive 
pervading  this  sluggishness. 

One  of  the  adjutants,  of  a  resourceful  turn  of 
mind,  bethought  him  of  some  plans  for  new 
barracks  which  His  Majesty  had  not  yet  examined, 
and  he  managed  to  interpose  these  plans  at  the 
moment  when  the  Emperor  was  about  to  descend 
the  staircase  to  the  courtyard,  in  which  as  yet  no 
welcome  clatter  of  hoofs  was  to  be  heard. 

But  at  last  the  horses  arrived,  not  conspicuously 
unpunctual.  They  had  trotted  rather  more  quickly 
than  usual  from  the  station  along  the  Linden,  but 
the  Master  of  the  Horse  had  saved  his  reputation 
for  being  "  always  on  the  spot  when  wanted." 

It  is  not  a  bed  of  roses  to  be  Master  of  the  Horse 
to  the  German  Emperor.  When  the  horses  of 
the  state  carriage  in  which  were  seated  Queen 


292     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

Alexandra  and  the  Empress  of  Germany,  frightened 
by  the  guns  of  the  salute,  refused  to  draw  any 
farther,  and  threw  the  whole  procession  into 
momentary  confusion,  it  was  the  unfortunate 
Master  who  had  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  blame. 
He  was  presented  by  the  Kaiser  to  King 
Edward,  whom  he  already  knew,  with  the  ac- 
companying phrase  "  Here's  the  man  who  made 
such  a  fearful  bungle  {hat  sich  blamirt)  with  his 
horses." 

Evidently  the  Emperor  thinks  it  better  to  go 
straight  to  the  point,  and  that  a  lingering  agony 
is  worse  than  prompt  dispatch. 

One  of  his  characteristics  is  that  he  can  explain 
^everything  to  everybody ;  but  there  is  one  ex- 
ception— the  suffragettes.  He  has  never  been  able 
to  explain  them.  They  baffle  him  entirely.  At 
first  he  thought  they  were  just  disappointed 
spinsters,  but  in  view  of  the  number  of  married 
women  in  their  ranks  he  was  obliged  to  abandon 
this  idea.  Since  then  he  has  been  groping  in 
vain  after  a  satisfactory  solution. 

Some  of  them  have  been  on  board  the  Hohen- 
zollern — not  uninvited  ones,  of  course — but  a  few 
of  the  charming  English  and  American  ladies 
who  come  to  Kiel  for  the  yacht-racing,  who 
have  sat  on  his  decks  and  drank  his  tea,  have 
shocked  His  Majesty  by  revealing  themselves  as 
sympathizers  with  the  feminist  suffrage  move- 
ment. The  Emperor  becomes  inarticulate  at  such 
moments.  He  wants  to  know  "  what  in  heaven 
women  want  with  a  vote  ?  " 

"  We  are  coming  to  Germany  soon,  Your 
Majesty,"  smiled  one  fair  lady,  with  the  intrepidity 


CONCLUSION  293 

of  her  sex  ;  "we  are  going  to  help  on  the  movement 
here." 

"  Here  !  There  is  no  movement  here,  and  if 
you  begin  burning  houses  and  horsewhipping 
people  in  Germany,  what  do  you  think  the  police 
will  do  ?  They  won't  send  you  flowers  and 
newspapers  and  let  you  go  free  two  days  after- 
wards. We  deal  with  people  differently  here,  I 
can  tell  you." 

It  is  of  no  use  to  explain  to  His  Majesty  the 
difference  between  militant  and  non-militant  suf- 
fragists. This  is  a  distinction  too  subtle  for  his-* 
mind,  which  sees  them  all  tarred  with  the  same 
brush,  a  menace  to  the  peace  of  mankind,  a 
clamorous  nuisance,  and  a  disturber  of  settled 
convictions  and  ideas. 

"  Women  should  stay  at  home  and  look  after ^ 
their  children,"  is  his  last  word  on  the  subject ; 
and  if  some  one  points  out  the  flaws  in  this  remedy, 
as  for  instance  the  thousands  of  women  who  have 
no  children  either  of  their  own  or  some  one  else's 
to  see  after,  he  takes  refuge  in  ridicule.  He  is 
quite  sure  that  a  vote  is  a  desperately  bad  thing 
for  women. 

However,  he  allows  women  to  be  colonels, 
honorary  colonels,  in  his  army.  The  Empress, 
the  Crown  Princess,  Princess  Fritz,  Princess 
August  Wilhelm,  and  his  young  daughter,  each 
have  their  regiments,  at  the  head  of  which  on 
Parade  days  they  ride  in  full  uniform — though  a 
long  riding  skirt  is  perhaps  the  least  practical 
military  garment  that  can  be  imagined. 

The  young  Princess  Victoria  Louise,  now  the 
Duchess    of    Brunswick,  received    her    colonelcy 


294     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

when  only  seventeen,  a  few  days  after  her  Con- 
firmation, which  was  the  formal  ending  of  her 
school-days — the  day  when  German  girlhood  of 
whatever  class  renounces  its  childhood  for  ever. 

"  Confirmation  !  "  said  one  rather  "  grumpy  " 
gentleman  of  the  court,  a  man  of  occasional  cynical 
humour:  "what  does  Confirmation  mean  ?  Why, 
for  the  boys  it  means  henceforth  permission  to 
smoke  cigarettes;  for  the  girls,  freedom  to  go  to 
balls  and  parties — that's  what  Confirmation  means 
in  Germany." 

At  the  Prussian  Court  it  signifies  something 
rather  strenuous,  and  all  Hohenzollern  Princes 
and  Princesses  are  strictly  prepared  for  it  some 
months  beforehand  by  the  Court  Chaplain.  It 
is  considered  to  be  a  very  solemn  moment  of 
their  lives,  and  at  the  ceremony  each  one  of 
them  must  read  aloud  before  the  assembled  con- 
gregation a  Glaubens-Bekenntniss  or  Confession 
of  Faith,  a  declaration  of  their  religious  belief, 
written  by  themselves,  together  with  their  views 
of  what  that  belief  implies  as  to  the  guidance  of 
their  future  lives.  It  is  a  very  impressive,  almost 
a  painful  ceremony,  this  effort  of  these  unformed 
boys  and  girls  to  give  expression  to  their  idea  of 
how  to  shape  their  future  worthily. 

The  day  before  the  Confirmation,  the  candidate 
is  examined  in  religious  knowledge  by  the  Chaplain, 
the  Emperor  and  Empress  being  the  only  other 
persons  present. 

All  the  near  relatives  come  to  the  ceremony; 
and  one  very  notable  old  lady  was  conspicuous 
at  the  confirmation  of  the  Princess.  This  was 
the    venerable    widowed    Grand-Duchess    Louise 


CONCLUSION  295 

of  Baden — "  Aunty  Baden,"   as  she  is  known  in 
the  family. 

Daughter  of  the  old  Emperor,  sister  of  the 
Emperor  Frederick,  mother  of  the  present  Queen 
of  Sweden,  this  grey-haired,  straight-backed  old 
lady  is  a  true  Hohenzollern  in  character,  of 
decided  opinions  and  a  restless,  energetic  mind. 
She  still  pays  frequent  visits  to  Berlin,  occupying 
a  suite  of  rooms  in  the  palace  of  her  late  father 
overlooking  the  Linden,  where  the  blind  of  one 
window  remains  permanently  drawn,  reminding 
the  passer-by  of  the  old  monarch  who  daily  stood 
there — as  he  once  laughingly  remarked,  "  because 
1  Cook '  says  I  am  there  and  we  mustn't  dis- 
appoint the  tourists" — to  salute  the  Castle  guard 
as  it  passed  up  to  its  barracks. 

"  Aunty  Baden  "  has  no  pity  for  modern  nerves 
and  modern  fatigue.  She  belongs  to  the  old 
school,  to  an  age  of  tough  fibre.  At  the  opening 
of  the  Kaiser-Frederick-Museum,  when  a  statue 
to  the  Emperor  Frederick  was  also  unveiled, 
this  indomitable  old  lady  examined  everything 
with  a  fresh,  vital  curiosity  which  baffled 
fatigue,  insisted  on  penetrating  into  every  room, 
and  studying  the  remotest  Greco-Assyrian  sculp- 
tures with  the  liveliest  interest.  Hardly  a 
single  scarab  or  the  smallest  picture  escaped 
her  notice. 

When  the  Empress  suggested  that  it  was  getting 
late,  and  that  the  crowd  of  Princes  and  Princesses 
who  had  assisted  at  the  ceremony  were  very 
tired  and  hungry,  she  only  turned  with  renewed 
zest  to  an  adjoining  gallery. 

"  Oh,  here  are  a  quantity  of  beautiful  things ! 


296    MEMORIES   OF  THE  KAISER'S   COURT 

We  must  look  at  these  before  we  go  !  See  how 
interesting  !  " 

Everybody  else  was  bored  to  extinction  and 
fainting  for  lack  of  sustenance,  the  time  for 
luncheon  being  long  passed ;  but  the  old  lady 
continually  made  new  discoveries,  and  was  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  at  last  induced  by  the 
Emperor  to  return  to  the  Schloss. 

On  the  Confirmation-Day  of  the  Princess  the 
Grand-Duchess  appeared  in  the  Friedens-Kirche — 
the  Church  of  Peace,  built  in  the  lovely  gardens  of 
Sans  Souci,  where  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
Frederick  lie  buried — leaning  on  the  arm  of  her 
nephew  the  Emperor  William,  who  treats  her 
always  with  the  greatest  devotion  and  respect. 

She  had  laid  aside  the  black  dress  she  usually 
wears,  and  appeared  clothed  completely  in  creamy 
white,  a  long  white  veil  falling  behind  almost  to 
the  hem  of  her  dress. 

All  the  old  teachers  and  servants  who  had 
ever  been  connected  in  the  slightest  degree  with 
the  Princess  were  invited  to  the  church.  The 
old  Sattel-Meister — long  retired  from  service — who 
first  placed  her  on  her  pony,  her  former  tutors 
and  governesses,  as  well  as  the  Stifts- Kinder, 
grown  up  now  and  done  with  black  uniforms 
and  tight  hair  for  ever — all  were  there. 

The  Lutheran  service  is  extremely  simple,  and 
the  Chaplain's  address  and  the  reading  of  the 
"  Confession "  occupied  the  chief  part  of  the 
time.     In  an  hour  it  was  over. 

The  Emperor  was  extremely  pleased  with  the 
way  in  which  his  daughter  acquitted  herself. 

"She  is  a  chip  of  the  old  block,  isn't  she?" 


CONCLUSION  297 

he  said  proudly,  talking  about  the  way  in  which 
she  read  her  Glaubens-Bekenntniss.  "  It  was  like 
a  Kavallerie- Attache  " — the  military  comparison 
did  not  appear  to  strike  him  as  out  of  place — "  so 
direct  and  forcible;  couldn't  have  been  better." 

Perhaps  the  Emperor's  martial  comment  was 
caused  by  his  knowledge  that  in  four  days'  time 
he  proposed  to  make  his  daughter  Colonel  of  the 
second  Hussars,  stationed  at  Danzig,  the  regiment-f 
of  which  his  mother,  the  Empress  Frederick,  had 
also  been  colonel.  On  the  birthday  of  the  Em- 
press, October  22,  the  news  was  announced. 

A  rumour  of  the  event  had  taken  wind,  but  the 
strictest  secrecy  was  enjoined,  and  the  necessary 
saddlery  and,  still  more  important,  the  necessary 
feminine  uniform  had  been  all  prepared,  the 
latter  without  any  "  trying  on." 

It  took  three  maids,  several  ladies,  and  at  the 
last  moment  the  patient  ministrations  and  advice 
of  the  Emperor's  Leib-Jdger,  to  get  the  Princess 
satisfactorily  into  that  uniform. 

It  was  fearfully  tight  under  the  arms  and  round 
the  neck,  and  the  new  patent-leather  boots 
pinched  horribly,  so  that  the  radiant  glow  of 
satisfaction  in  the  glory  and  honour  of  wearing 
it  was  tinctured  with  some  pain  and  discomfort, 
for  the  day  was  unusually  warm,  almost  oppres- 
sive, and  the  heavy  cloth  loaded  with  astrachan, 
the  hot  fur  cap  with  its  skull  and  cross-bones 
(the  emblem  which  gives  the  regiment  its  name, 
the  Toten-Kopf  or  Death' s-Head  Hussars)  com- 
bined with  the  cumbersome  habit-skirt,  weighted 
the  Princess  almost  beyond  endurance. 

All  the  officers  of  the  regiment  had  travelled 


298     MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

from  distant  Danzig,  a  twelve  hours'  journey, 
to  be  presented  to  their  new  colonel;  and  the 
Empress's  birthday  table,  with  the  usual  dozen 
of  new  hats,  received  hardly  any  attention  at  all, 
every  one  being  absorbed  in  the  "  new  recruit " 
to  His  Majesty's  forces. 

"  She  will  ride  at  the  head  of  the  first  regiment 
that  invades  England,"  said  the  Emperor  gaily 
to  me. 

"  Yes,  I  hope  so.  Then  we  shall  be  delighted 
to  see  it,"  was  the  only  possible  answer  I  could 
find. 

"  Oh  yes !  You  will  receive  her  with  open 
arms,  no  doubt,"  he  laughed,  but  looked  as  though 
he  were  not  quite  sure  of  the  matter. 

But  when  his  daughter  the  following  year 
accompanied  her  parents  to  England  for  the  un- 
veiling of  the  Queen  Victoria  Memorial,  although 
she  did  not  arrive  at  the  head  of  her  regiment,  she 
nevertheless  managed  to  subjugate  and  be  sub- 
jugated by  that  portion  of  England  which  came 
within  her  sphere  of  influence. 

Her  impressions  of  her  week  in  London,  a  city 
she  had  expected  to  find  wrapt  in  impenetrable 
fog,  but  which  remained,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  showers,  bathed  in  sunshine  all  the  time  of 
her  visit,  were  joyous  in  the  extreme. 

The  soldiers,  especially  the  Highlanders  walking 
with  that  peculiarly  characteristic,  proud,  delightful 
swagger,  the  rhythmic  swing  of  their  kilts,  the 
skirl  of  their  bagpipes,  thrilled  her  with  delight. 

"Your  soldiers  are  wonderful,"  she  said;  "I 
never  thought  they  were  like  that.  Every  private 
walks  like  an  officer." 


THE  EMTERORS  DAUGHTER,   TAKEN   ON   THE  DAY   WHEN   SHE   WAS 
MADE  COLONEL  OF   THE   DEATH'S    HEAD   HUSSARS 


CONCLUSION  299 

She  thought  the  "  Military  Tournament "  the 
most  delightful  entertainment  she  had  ever  seen, 
and  was  intensely  amused  at  "  Arthur's  Arabs," 
the  soldiers  of  the  regiment  of  Prince  Arthur  of 
Connaught,  who,  disguised  in  burnous  and  appro- 
priate head-gear  and  jabbering  a  jargon  of  their 
own  invention,  interspersed  with  weird  shrieks 
and  gestures,  imposed  themselves  on  a  portion 
of  the  unsuspecting  British  public  as  "  the  real 
article"  from  somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Algiers,  and  accomplished  their  tent-pegging 
to  the  accompaniment  of  blood-curdling  and  ear- 
piercing  yells. 

When  the  Emperor  and  Empress  went  with 
the  King  and  Queen  to  spend  the  afternoon  at 
Windsor  Castle,  King  George  sent  all  the  German 
servants  and  footmen,  under  the  guidance  of  some 
of  his  own  English  servants,  to  see  this  same 
Military  Tournament,  at  which  they  were  much 
delighted — for,  as  a  rule,  it  is  very  difficult  for 
people  in  attendance  on  travelling  royalties  to  get 
any  but  a  very  cursory  glimpse  of  the  countries 
where  they  are  staying.  They  returned  glowing 
with  enthusiasm  and  full  of  interest  in  what  they 
had  seen. 

"So  etwas  haben  wir  nicht  in  Deutschland" 
(We  have  nothing  like  that  in  Germany),  said 
one  Diener  to  me  with  a  certain  quaint  surprise ; 
"it  is  very  amusing,  very  interesting,  but  what 
is  the  use  of  it  ?  We  should  not  let  our  army 
waste  its  time  dancing  quadrilles  with  four-horse 
guns." 

I  explained  to  the  best  of  my  ability  that  the 
tournament  was  a  charitable  affair  and  helped  to 


300     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

get  money  for  soldiers'  orphans,  also  that  the 
gun  evolutions  were  really  only  a  modification 
of  real  military  tactics.  He  seemed  hardly  con- 
vinced, however,  and  in  spite  of  his  loudly  expressed 
pleasure  in  the  spectacle,  still  continued  doubtful 
as  to  its  relative  utility. 

If  one  may  judge  from  the  occasional  bits  of 
gossip  which  float  upwards  from  "  below  stairs," 
rather  humorous  situations  sometimes  arise  be- 
tween the  servants  of  royalty  belonging  to  different 
nationalities.  When  King  George  and  Queen 
Mary  paid  their  last  visit  to  Berlin,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  marriage  of  the  Emperor's  daughter,  two 
English  waiting-maids  were  taken  for  a  drive 
in  Potsdam  by  a  kindly  German  maid  anxious 
to  show  some  polite  attention  to  the  visitors. 
She  however  complained  bitterly  on  her  return  of 
the  severely  patriotic  attitude  of  the  two  British 
ladies,  who,  whatever  they  were  shown,  compared 
it  detrimentally  to  something  else  in  England; 
and  when  the  German  pointed  out,  as  a  possible 
object  of  interest,  the  large  hangar  built  for  the 
accommodation  of  Zeppelin's  air-ship,  ostenta- 
tiously turned  away  their  heads  and  looked  in 
another  direction,  finding  nothing  more  gracious 
to  say  than  that  they  were  "  very  pleased  that 
the  air-ship  had  descended  by  mistake  into 
French  territory  !  "  Happily  such  rigidly  uncom- 
promising souls  are  rarely  found  at  Court. 

From  her  earliest  years,  projects  for  the  marriage 
of  the  Kaiser's  daughter  had  been  continually 
discussed,  and  as  she  grew  older  every  eligible 
prince  in  Europe — with  the  exception  of  the 
one    she    eventually    married — was    cited    as    a 


■> 


CONCLUSION  301 

possible  husband.  The  Kings  of  Spain  and  Portu- 
gal were  for  some  time  hot  favourites ;  and  when 
the  former  young  monarch,  before  his  marriage, 
paid  a  visit  of  several  days  to  the  New  Palace,  all 
the  newspapers,  taking  no  account  of  differences 
of  age  and  religion,  were  naturally  quite  certain 
that  they  had  run  to  ground  the  future  bridegroom 
of  the  Princess,  then  only  fourteen  years  of  age. 

The  King  was,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  has 
no  pretensions  to  beauty,  an  extremely  attractive 
personality,  and  he  and  the  Princess  were  the  best 
of  friends,  having  a  similarity  of  tastes  in  jokes 
and  a  mutual  passion  for  horses.  When  the  King 
shot  his  first  stag  in  the  Wildpark  he  gallantly 
presented  her  with  his  Spruch  or  trophy  of  leaves, 
which  remained  as  an  ornament  of  her  sitting- 
room  until  the  announcement  of  his  engagement 
to  Princess  Ena  of  Battenberg,  when  the  Spruch, 
which  had  been  disintegrating  leaf  by  leaf,  finally 
disappeared. 

Of  all  possible  marriages,  that  which  the  Kaiser's 
daughter  eventually  made  was  the  last  that 
any  one  would  have  dared  to  prophesy,  so  utterly 
improbable  did  it  appear.  The  Duke  of  Cumber- 
land, father  of  the  bridegroom,  had  from  child- 
hood been  the  implacable  enemy  of  the  Prussian 
Royal  House  and  Government.  All  attempts  of  the 
Emperor  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation  had  failed. 

With  almost  monotonous  regularity  the  news- 
papers would  announce  from  time  to  time  the 
approaching  meeting  of  the  Emperor  with  the 
Duke,  and  with  equal  certainty  a  paragraph  would 
appear  next  day  announcing  the  latter' s  depar- 
ture from  the  scene  of  the  projected  rendezvous 


302     MEMORIES   OF   THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

"  a  few  hours  before  His  Majesty's  arrival."  The 
name  of  "  The  Vanishing  Duke "  became  pecu- 
liarly appropriate,  and  the  feud  appeared  to  have 
settled  down  into  that  hopeless  state  where  every 
effort  at  reconciliation  has  been  exhausted,  and 
nothing  remains  to  be  done. 

Many  brilliant  statesmen  and  crowned  heads 
had  to  retire  baffled  after  frequent  praiseworthy 
but  ineffective  efforts,  until  at  last  those  two  great 
factors  in  the  affairs  of  the  world,  Death  and 
Love,  intervened. 

The  Duke's  eldest  son,  travelling  in  his  motor- 
car through  Germany  on  his  way  to  the  funeral, 
of  his  uncle  the  King  of  Denmark,  met  his  death 
by  an  accident  in  a  lonely  part  of  the  road,  lay 
for  a  time  unrecognized,  and  then,  his  identity 
becoming  known,  the  Emperor  sent  off  his  son, 
Prince  Eitel  Fritz,  with  instructions  to  render 
all  possible  help  in  the  distressing  circumstances. 
The  body  of  the  young  prince  for  two  nights 
remained  in  the  little  village  church  near  the 
place  where  the  accident  happened,  guarded  by 
Prussian  soldiers  and  the  two  sons  of  the  Kaiser — 
for  the  Crown  Prince,  whose  wife's  brother  is 
married  to  a  daughter  of  the  Duke,  was  also  sent 
by  the  Emperor  to  do  what  he  could  to  soften 
the  sad  tragedy.  They  watched  all  night  by  the 
coffin  and  escorted  it  on  its  way  to  burial. 

A  few  weeks  afterwards,  Ernest  Augustus,  the 
second  son  of  the  Duke,  by  his  brother's  death 
become  heir  to  the  family  feud,  came  on  his  father's 
behalf  to  thank  the  Emperor  for  his  sympathy 
and  aid  in  their  sorrow.  For  the  first  time  in 
their    lives    he    and  the  Kaiser's  daughter  met, 


THK  DUKE  AND  DUCHESS  OF  BRUNSWICK 


CONCLUSION  303 

spent  an  hour  or  so  in  each  other's  company, 
and  then,  his  mission  fulfilled,  he  departed  again. 
But  a  new  element  had  been  introduced  into  the 
quarrel :  so  strong  was  the  mutual  attraction  felt 
by  the  two  young  people  for  each  other  that,  in 
spite  of  the  short  time  of  their  meeting,  in  spite 
of  the  tremendous  prejudices  and  difficulties  in 
the  way,  they  at  last  wore  down  the  opposition 
and  conquered  the  accumulated  hate  of  years. 
What  the  most  practised  diplomats  failed  to 
achieve,  this  boy  and  girl  accomplished,  and  at 
last,  through  many  troubles,  delays,  and  vexations, 
won  their  way  to  their  hearts'  desire. 

On  the  evening  of  the  wedding  of  the  Princess 
with  Prince  Ernest  of  Cumberland,  now  Duke  of 
Brunswick,  at  the  beginning  of  the  historic  Torch 
Dance  which  concludes  the  ceremonies,  the  radiant 
bride,  taking  her  father  by  one  hand  and  the 
Duke  of  Cumberland  by  the  other,  walked  between 
them  round  the  hall  to  the  sound  of  the  stately-) 
bridal  music. 

It  was  a  happy  symbol,  the  erstwhile  enemies 
linked  together  by  the  Kaiser's  daughter,  a  visible 
sign  of  the  alleviation,  if  not  quite  the  ending,  of 
a  situation  which  had  for  long  years  galled  and 
irritated  the  German  people. 

Now,  with  the  departure  of  his  youngest  child, 
the  last  one  left  at  home,  the  private  life  of  the 
Kaiser's  Court  has  grown  in  these  later  days 
somewhat  still  and  a  trifle  lonely.  There  is  as  ^ 
yet  no  little  girl  among  the  children  of  the  Crown 
Prince  to  take  even  partially  the  place  of  the  one 
who  has  gone  away,  the  one  who  was  her  father's 
particular  companion  and  pride. 

4    On?  bio  bw  I 

H 


304    MEMORIES   OF  THE   KAISER'S   COURT 

The  Bauern  Haus  is  closed,  the  Prinzen  Wohnung 
shut  up. 

"It  is  really  quite  sad,"  wrote  recently  a  lady 
of  the  Court,  "  to  see  all  those  apartments  de- 
serted and  locked  up,  the  curtains  drawn  across 
the  windows,  no  movement  or  life  where  formerly 
there  was  so  much.  Christmas  was  strange 
indeed  without  our  Princess.  We  all  felt  it  like 
a  shadow  over  the  festivities.  We  seemed  to 
feel  that  we  were  getting  old." 

And  the  Emperor,  who  in  his  private  friendships 
has  undergone  many  disappointments  and  dis- 
illusions, becomes  increasingly  conscious  of  the 
soul  solitude  brought  by  advancing  years. 

Yet,  though  suffering  from  occasional  moods 
of  depression,  he  faces  the  future  with  confidence 
in  the  destiny  of  his  house. 

Among  his  later  literary  admirations  Kipling's 
poem  "If"  holds  first  place.  A  copy  hangs 
above  his  writing-table ;  he  quotes  it  frequently 
to  his  sons,  and  translates  it  into  terse  and  ex- 
pressive German  for  the  benefit  of  his  adjutants. 
It  embodies  his  own  experience  of  Life,  crystallises 
his  own  aspirations.  He  too  has  always  been 
anxious 

"  to  fill  the  unforgiving  minute 
With  sixty-seconds'  worth  of  distance  run." 


INDEX 


Adalbert,  Prince  of  Prussia,   57  ; 

his  fancy-dress  ba.ll,  203 
Africa,  German,  59,  214 
Albany,  Duchess  of,  68 
Alexander  of  Teck,  Princess,  68, 

Alexandra,  Queen,  87,  292 

Alexandria,  the  Emperor's  river- 
steamer,  215 

Amber,  97,  232 

Aosta,  Duchess  of,  193 

Apollo-Saal,  57 

Aubade  of  court  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, 197 

Augusta-Stift,  129 

Augusta  Victoria,  German  Em- 
press, adventure  in  Konigs- 
berg,  256;  appearance,  per- 
sonal, 275  ;  audience,  9  ;  birth- 
day, 121  ;  Christmas  gifts,  89, 
97  ;  cruise  on  the  Iduna,  233, 
278;  fall  from  horse,  219; 
Irish  apron,  90  ;  interest  in 
social  schemes,  273  ;  recrea- 
tions, 276  ;  speech  at  Konigs- 
berg,  277  ;  treats  to  school- 
children, 239,  271  ;  unmarried 
sister,  173 

August  Wilhelm,  Prince  of  Prus- 
sia, 57 

Baden,  Louise,  Grand  Duchess  of, 

294 
Ballin,  head  of  Hamburg-America 

line  of  steamships,  268 
Balls,    State,    123  ;     fancy-dress, 

203 
Baltic  Sea,  231 
Bauern  Haus,  106,  163 
Bernstein,  97,  232 
Bescherung,  95,  101 
Bilder-Galerie,  191 
Bismarck,  Prince,  217 
Black  Forest,  138 

20  3°S 


Boer  War,  58 

Bonaparte,  Jerome,  King  of  West- 
phalia, 206 

Bonaparte,  Napoleon,  266 

Books  for  boys  in  Germany,  35 

Bornstedter-Feld,  60 

Bornstedter-Gut,  174 

Brandenburger-Tor,  188 

Bride's  garter,  196 

Brunswick,  Duke  of,  303 

Butchers  of  Berlin  escort  royal 
brides,  189 

Cadinen,  222 

Cambridge,  Duke  of,  u ,  108 
Carol-singing,  93 
Cassel,  203 

Cecile,    Crown    Princess    of    Ger- 
many, 185,  199 
Chapel  at  Wilhelmshohe,  20  5 

—  gallery,  Berlin,  1 1 7 
Chicken-pox,  285 
Chocolate  antiques,  28 
Circus,  Busch's,  82 
"  Communs,"  49 
Concert,  State,  119 
Connaught,     Prince     Arthur     of, 

193,  299 
Copernicus,  234,  236 
Corfu,  80 
Cromwell,  266 
Cronberg,  18 
Cumberland,  Duke  of,  301 

Dantzig,  229 

—  Gulf  of,  223 
Defilir-Cour ,  194 
Diamonds,  German,  215 
Divining-rod,  214 
Dohna  of  Schlobitten,  Prince,  250 
Droschky- driver,  219 

Easter-eggs,  126 

Edward  VII,  King,  87,  292 


306    MEMORIES   OF   THE    KAISER'S   COURT 


Elbing,  224 

Elk,  247,  254 

Ena,  Princess  of  Battenberg,  30 1 

Esmarck,  Professor  von,  3 1 

Eulenburg,  Prince  Philip,  249 

Feodora,    Princess   of   Schleswig- 

Holstein,  173 
Ferry,  Sacrow,  217 
Feud  between  Guelph  and  Hohen- 

zollern,  301 
Forest,  Rominten,  247 
Frauenburg,  234,  236 
Frederick,       Prince     of     Prussia 

(Prince    "Fritz"),   playing 

hockey,  72  ;   wedding,  197 
Frederick  Charles  of  Hesse,  Prin- 
cess, 18 
Frederick,  Empress,  her  practical 

mind,    48  ;     reading    with    her 

son,  289;   power  of  work,  ib.; 

flowers  and  memorial  to  Prince 

Sigismund,  290 
Frederick  the  Great,  Sans  Souci, 

63  ;    his  harpsichord  and  books 

in  the  New  Palace,  202 
Frederick  William,  German  Crown 

Prince,    plays    hockey,  70  ;    at 

Ploen,  156  ;    his  marriage,  185  ; 

his    firstborn,    199 ;    his  tastes 

and  character,  280 
Frisches  Haff,  223,  229 
Fruhstiicks-tafel,  57 
Furstenburg,    Max  Egon,    Prince 

of,  136 

Gainsborough,  267 

Gallery,  Jasper,  201 

Gallery,  Picture,  191 

Garde  du  Corps,  195 

Geheim-Polizisten,  135 

George,  Crown  Prince,  of  Greece, 

18 
George  V,  King  of  England,  81 
Gottes-Dienst,  229 
Gratulations-Cour ,  1 1 1 

Hallali,  253 

"  Halloren,"  sausage  of  the,  1 14 

Hamburg- America  Line,  268 

Hercules,  statue  of,  205 

Herero  War,  59,  61 

Hesse  Homburg,  Landgraf  of,  1 3 

Highcliffe,  castle  of,  264 

Hohenzollern,  292 

Hollmann,  Admiral  von,  287 

Hunt  Dinner,  218 


Hunt  Uniform,  244 

Idnna,  233 

Intendant,  worries  of  theatre,  84 

Joachim,  Prince  of  Prussia, 
youngest  son  of  the  Kaiser,  14, 
23.  39 

Kachel-Ofen,  50 
Kahlberg,  230 
Kiel,  203,  292 
Kinder-Fest,  239 
Kinder-Heim,  271 
Konigsberg,  256,  277 
Krdmmgs-Tag,  117 

Lakes,  chain  of,  Potsdam,  215 
Laszlo,  Philip  von,  his  portraits, 

270 
Liebenberg,  Schloss,  250 
Lonsdale,  Lord,  139 
Louise,  Queen,  of  Prussia,  216 
Lowther  Castle,  139 
Loyalty,  German,  2>7 

Marienburg,  234 
M armor-Palais,  68,  199 
Marmor-Saal,  79 
Marshal  of  the  Court,  194 
Mary,  Queen,  of  England,  81 
Master  of  the  Horse,  291 
Matrosen-Station,  217 
Mecklenburg  horses,  212 
Mecklenburg-Schwerin,     Duchess 

Cecile  of,  185 
Mecklenburg  -  Schwerin,       Grand 

Duke  of,  193 
Military  Tournament,  299 
Muschel-Saal,  96 
Museum,  Kaiser  Friedrich,  295 

Napoleon  I.,  266 

Napoleon  III.,  207 

Nelson,  267 

Neuer  Garten,  64 

New  Year's  Eve,  1 10 

Norway,  King  of,  122 

Norway,  Olaf,   Crown  Prince  of, 

122 
Norwegian  landing-stage,  215 

Oldenburg,  Duchess  Sophie  Char- 
lotte of,  197 
Opera  House,  85 
Oscar,  Prince  of  Prussia,  71,  219 


INDEX 


307 


Peasant-women  as  housemaids, 
225 

Pfauen-Insel,  216 

Photographs,  187 

Ploen,  78,  157 

Policemen  and  mob,  258,  260 

Portrait-painting,  270 

Portugal,  King  of,  301 

Portugal,  Queen  Augusta  Vic- 
toria of,  77 

Procession  of  peasants  at  Donau- 
Eschingen,  140 

"  Pulpits  "  in  the  forest,  253 

Radaune,  the,  229' 

"  Railway  Palace,"  144 

Reit-Bahn,  75 

Residences,  royal,  46  ;  Belle  Vue, 
115,  283  ;  Berlin  Schloss,  ill  ; 
Cadinen,  222  ;  Homburg,  4, 
22  ;  Mon  Bijou,  285  ;  New 
Palace,  46 ;  Rominten,  243  ; 
Sacrow,  217  ;  Sans  Souci,  63  ; 
Strasburg  Schloss,  144 ;  Wil- 
helmshohe,  203  ;  Wilhelmsthal, 
207 

Riding  in  Cadinen,  237 

Rococo  Period,  57 

Roman  fortress,  Homburg,  2S 

Rominte,  246 

"Rule  Britannia"  in  a  German 
school,  160 

Rutsch-Bahn,  216 

Saalburg,  28 

Sand-Hof,  61 

Sans  Souci,  63 

"  Sardanapalus,"  87 

Saxe-Altenburg,  Prince  of,  127 

Saxe-Coburg  and  Gotha,  Duke  of, 

184 
Schilder-Saal,  10 1 
Schleswig-Holstein,  Duchess  of,  66 
Schrippen-Fest,  171 
Shah  of  Persia,  132 
"  Sherlock  Holmes,"  35 
Sigismund,  Prince  of  Prussia,  son 

of  the  Empress  Frederick,  290 
Skating,  70 
Sleighing,  124 
Spain,  King  Alfonso  of,  309 
Speck  von  Sternburg,  Baron,  247 
Speise-Karte,  57 
Stifts- Kinder,  132 
Strasburg,  144 
"Strecke,"  the,  253 
Supper  in  royal  train,  39,  244 


Tanz-Proben,  123 

Teutonic  Knights,  234 

Theatre  of  Frederick  the  Great,  77 

Thunderstorms  in  Cadinen,  235 

Thuringer-Wald,  136 

Tie-pin  and  studs,  260 

Tile-factory,  236 

Torch  Dance,  195 

Trafalgar,  267 

"Treasure  Island,"  35 

Tree,  Beerbohm,  83 

Tree,  Viola,  83 

Trippers,  fifty  thousand,  109 

Truchsess,  194 

Turkey,  Sultan  of,  200 

Turn  Saal,  77 

Tutors,  151 

Twins,  18 

Unken,  226 

Unter  den  Linden,  1 1 1 

Victoria  Louise,  Princess  of  Prus- 
sia, 1  ;  art  and  Herr  von 
Laszl6,  270  ;  birthday  party, 
153;  confirmation,  294,  296; 
cookery,  165  ;  dancing-mis- 
tress, 123  ;  donkeys,  74  ;  letters 
to  her  father,  79  ;  piano- 
playing,  8 1  ;  pig,  67  ;  ponies 
given  by  the  Sultan,  17  ; 
riding,  60  ;  toast  for  "  Papa," 
251  ;    sack  races,  153 

Victoria  Memorial,  Queen,  298 

Vistula,  223 

Waiting- maids,  patriotic,  300 

Weddings,  royal,  184 

Weisser-Saal,  no,  119,  194 

Werder,  126 

Whitsuntide  at  the  Prussian 
Court,  171 

Wildpark,  60 

William  I.,  German  Emperor,  213, 
217 

William  II.,  German  Emperor: 
afternoon  siesta,  277  ;  al  fresco 
meals,  216,  217;  anecdotal 
moods,  108,  287  ;  anniversary 
of  accession,  117;  birthday, 
118;  Cadinen,  223;  carol- 
singing,  104 ;  censorship  of 
architectural  plans,  269; 
chicken-pox,  284  ;  children's 
guard  of  honour,  273  ;  con- 
ducting the  band,  79  ;  dancing 
at  court,  123  ;    diamond  cigar- 


308     MEMORIES    OF   THE    KAISER'S   COURT 


ette-case,  214  ;  duties  of  women, 
views  on,  293  ;  evenings  at 
home,  278  ;  excursions  on 
river-steamer  at  Potsdam,  215  ; 
family  life,  16  ;  fancy-dress  ball 
at  Kiel,  203  ;  farming  opera- 
tions, 67  ;  hiding  Easter  eggs, 
127  ;  horror  of  alcohol,  32  ; 
hunt  dinner,  218  ;  hunt  uni- 
form, 245  ;  hymn-singing,  205  ; 
inspection  of  troops  for  South- 
West  Africa,  62  ;  interest  in 
aviation,  177,  179  ;  in  human 
nature,  133,  172  ;  Laszlo,  270  ; 
musical  tastes,  80  ;  moose 
hunt,  254  ;  New  Year  cards, 
1 10  ;  Norwegian  hunting-lodge, 
246  ;  picnics,  27,  212  ;  Punch, 
279  ;  rebuilding  the  Saalburg, 
29;    review  at  Metz,   145  ;    on 


Bornstedter  Feld,  61  ;  rides 
in  Wilhelmshohe,  210  ;  safety- 
staircases  for  opera-house,  85  ; 
silver  wedding,  197,  272  ;  suf- 
fragettes, 292  ;  talk  with  sol- 
diers, 172  ;  tea  and  Zwieback, 
27;  tennis,  211;  tile-factory, 
236  ;  umbrella  of  the  admiral, 
287  ;  visit  to  Highcliffe,  106, 
264  ;  visit  to  Konigsberg,  256  ; 
Waidmann's  Heil,  253,  269  ; 
Windsor,  205,  299  ;  women  and 
votes,     292  ;      women-colonels , 

293.  297 
Witte,  Count,  251 
Woolwich  Common,  108 
Wright,  Orville,  176 

Zeppelin,  Count,  179,  300 
Zigelei,  236 


Printed  by  Haxell,  Watson  &  Viney,  La.,  London  and  Aylesbury. 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


JUH 1  .  1982 

OCT  1 1 1082 
0CT1 01983 


Series  9482 


mm. 


A  A      000  179  605    1 


3   1205  00377  6471 


tifoifi'-' 


